


Restoring the Balance - Ahsoka's Final Task

by RebelAlliance6112



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: A-Wing (Star Wars) - Freeform, Ahch-To, Choma'qui (Original Character - Pash-Kel), Crait (Star Wars), D'Qar, First Order, Force Ghost Anakin Skywalker, Force Ghost Obi-Wan Kenobi, Gen, Jakku, Jedi, Kyber Crystals, Lightsaber Battles, Lightsabers, Niima Outpost, Original Character(s), Pashlama-Kel (Original World), Post-Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Pre-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Rebels, Sith Rey, Star Wars Rebels: Spectres, Star Wars Rebels: The Ghost, Takodana, The Force, The Resistance Star Wars, Twi'leks (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2020-01-23 14:22:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18551545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RebelAlliance6112/pseuds/RebelAlliance6112
Summary: High above a small village, nestled within the rugged mountain wilderness of the largely pre-industrial planet called Pashlama-Kel, lives an old lady known locally as "The Witch."  She is not native to the planet, but the locals largely leave her alone.  However, one young boy from the village visits her from time to time.  He has dreams of places and things he's never seen, and the Witch seems to have answers to his questions.  One day, a man visits him in his dreams and tells him to find the Witch and deliver to her a message.  She has one final task.Immediately after the escape from Crait, Rey is visited by Luke Skywalker's force ghost.  He tells her to travel to a largely unknown planet and seek out the last living being that was trained by the Jedi of old, Ahsoka Tano.Rey sets off as directed, hoping that this figure from the distant past can help her complete her training, provide answers about her past, and provide guidance in understanding her place within the Force.





	1. Receipt of a Message

Choma’qui always fell asleep with the same excitement.  It was another opportunity.  An opportunity to try and get a glimpse of the after land.  The place where those who left the world of air, land, and water, and no longer walked amongst their tribe went to rest and meditate.  There they stayed until they were called upon to aid those who still walked.  This after land of mysticism and spirits was known to the denizens of the planet called Pashlama-Kel as the Sanctuary Beyond.  The members of Choma’qui’s tribe believed very strongly that the Sanctuary Beyond was a sacred place, blessed by the spirit of Pashlama-Kel herself.  No one that still walked could to gaze upon it, or speak to those within.  Not even the Serafar’s, the tribal spiritual leaders, possessed that power.

The young Pash-Kel boy was unconvinced.  He could sense it.  As far back as he could remember in his earliest childhood memories, Choma’qui always felt as if something called to him.  He dreamt of things and places that he had never seen.  He felt the feelings of those around him, even when their faces showed nothing. 

The excitement about sleep was not about the dreams, but the waking sleep moments.  In that small window of coming out of slumber and rising for the day, that was when Choma’qui felt the divide between the Pashla, the time of now, and the Sanctuary Beyond was the thinnest.  He felt, he sensed, he believed that a connection could be made.  There, he would find answers.  Answers that no one could give him.  Particularly, answers that SHE would not give him.

Choma’qui stretched in his bed and squirmed until he was comfortable.  The night was warm, a light blanket was all that was required.  His head settled, Choma’qui took a deep breath and closed his eyes, forcing his thoughts to slow, then stop, then fade into nothing.  That was how she taught him to calm himself.  Soon his dream started.

There was a girl, she was young.  Smart.  Resourceful.  Alone.  So very alone, surrounded by sand.  The image faded and was replaced by the same girl, but she was in pain, under attack.  The pain awakened something inside of her.  Something powerful, and it both terrified and intrigued her enemies.  The image was replaced again by the girl, but this time she was in the stars.  Surrounded by friends and those that cared about her.  An old woman appeared in front of her.  There was sadness, yet peace in her eyes.  The young girl was in despair, but the old woman comforted and reassured her. 

Then it all faded.  In his mind, Choma’qui felt conscious thought returning, but he knew he was still lying in his bed.  He concentrated on holding himself in place, reaching out with his heart and soul.  He never felt so close, it was never so clear.

Blackness.  Choma’qui looked around.  He looked at his hands and feet, but there was nothing but blackness around him.  Suddenly there was a man in front of him.  He was heavily cloaked in robes that Choma’qui did not recognize.  His face was mostly covered, but from what he could make out, he appeared to have suffered serious burns at some point.  The one eye that was visible had a hard look to it.  Glowing slightly, it regarded Choma’qui calmly.  Though the robed figure was still, Choma’qui sensed great power within him.  A teetering balance between rage and peace.

“You seek answers,” asked the robed man.  He said it as a statement.

Choma’qui nodded.  “I seek truth.  Is this the Sanctuary Beyond?  Are you a Serafar?”

The man snorted, his head bobbing slightly.  “It is, and it is not.  And I, am not.”

“Then, I am still dreaming.”  The young Pash-kel lowered his head in disappointment.  He was startled by a soft yet menacing chuckle.

“Mind your thoughts, boy.  And your emotions.  They may lead you down paths towards unforeseen and undesirable outcomes.”

“I don’t understand…..”  Choma’qui choked on his sentence as the figure swiftly moved towards him, closing the distance in an instance, and stopping only a few feet from him.

“It is not your time to understand boy,” the figure hissed.  “Your future is uncertain, but ultimately of no concern of mine.  For now, you have a simple task.”

Choma’qui swallowed hard.  “A task?”

The figure ignored his question.  “You will go to the woman you know as the Witch. The non Pash-kel.”

Choma’qui nodded, his confidence was returning despite itself.  “She is Ashlon.  My tribe calls her the Witch.  They are wary of her, though she has been nothing but kind and helpful.”

The figure chuckled again.  “Ashlon…That is one of many names she has carried.”  His face seemed to soften and the eye shift from smoldering to calm, almost fatherly.  “Padawan, Snips, Commander, Fulcrum…”  For a fleeting moment, the balance between rage and peace tipped, and Choma’qui sensed a compassion and warmth in the man.  “Ahsoka.  My charge, long ago.  But I failed her.”  Then it was gone, replaced by the powerful aura.  The visible eye gleaming once again.

“Tell her, she has one more task.  Tell her that it is her destiny to break the cycle, and restore the balance.”  The figure began to retreat, fading away.

The young Pash-kel called out to the figure.  “Wait, I don’t know what that means!  What if….”

He never got the words out.  The man appeared again, but was now different.  The raw power, hate, and anguish slammed into Choma’qui’s body.  It was palpable.  He was no longer dressed in the robes, but was now a towering black figure.  A sleek helmet sat upon his head, and where a face should have been was a black mask with two orb like eyes that pierced his mind.  A wheezing hiss that was his breath alternated in pitch and tempo.  Choma’qui was paralyzed with fear.  The black clad giant raised a leathered hand and pointed.

“Fulfill your task, or suffer your fate!”

And then he was awake.  Bathed in sweat, breathing hard.  Choma’qui looked around fearfully, expecting the towering monster to be at his bedside.  But there was nothing.  It was still dark though the early hint of light was starting to peak through the window.

“Fulfill your task,” a whisper sounded deep within his mind.

Choma’qui held his breath for a few moments, eyes clenched shut.  Then started to take even, deep breaths to calm himself.  Moments later, he opened his eyes. 

“There’s work to do”, he said to himself, and got up to begin preparations for his journey.


	2. Delivery of the Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Choma'qui sets off to deliver the message given to him by his mysterious dream visitor to the Witch.

Choma’qui quickly gathered up supplies, his hunting sling, and his obsynth blade.  Obsynth was a natural rock that could be fashioned down to a razor edge.  The trip to visit the Witch known as Ashlon normally took a full day of travel.  However, Choma’qui was confident that if he traveled lightly and moved with urgency, he could make it in significantly less time.  The visitor in his dream had not put a time limit on delivering the message, but he was not about to wait and see.  It was Pashla, the time to act was now.

Leaving a note for his mother saying he’d be gone for two days hunting, he headed for the door.  Before he got there, his mother appeared from her room.  She eyed his day pack warily.

“Early start, my dear Choma.  Off somewhere?”

Choma’qui froze.  He had wanted to be gone before she arose to avoid questions.  “Hunting, Mother.”

She looked unconvinced, but simply shrugged and walked over, placing a light kiss on his forehead.  “Be safe, my son.  I will meditate to Pashlama for your safe return.”

He smiled, then turned for the door.

The small dwelling that he occupied with his mother sat on the edge of their village, giving him easy access to the trails that led into the Wilde.  The rugged terrain was broken up by sturdy trees that gnarled their way in and around the outcroppings in search of soil and sunlight.  It was cold, but Choma’qui knew that once he started moving he would soon start sweating. 

Starting off at a slow trot, he adjusted the straps to his pack and then settled into a steady pace.  The village sat on a small plateau that nestled up against a tall spire of a mountain.  It afforded natural protection from the weather and some of the larger indigenous predators.  Choma’qui was not worried so much about the larger local predators, most were nocturnal.  However, he was worried about the Ridge Cats.  They were a medium sized predator with feline qualities.  A leathery skin connected its front and rear legs which gave it the ability to glide, very useful in the rugged mountainous terrain.  Ridge Cats also had three long toes attached to a padded paw ending in a long, razor sharp claw.  This made them excellent climbers.  Often working in small groups, Ridge Cats were highly intelligent and efficient hunters.  They did not normally attack people, but Choma’qui kept a vigilant eye and ear to his surroundings none the less.

Choma’qui stopped every hour or so to rest and snack on some of the provisions he brought.  The day was cool and he was making good time.  At midday he was over halfway to where the Witch dwelled.  However, this last stretch was the most treacherous.  The trail gave way to steep inclines and switch backs, replete with loose rocks and narrow edges.  Looking up at the incline, he smiled inwardly to himself.  Though it was the most treacherous, he relished this part.  The challenge inspired him, made him feel complete.  Tightening his pack straps and making sure his obsynthe blade was secure on his hip, Choma’qui set off.

After an hour of climbing, he was breathing hard.  His pace slowed as he moved more cautiously across the difficult terrain.  Though he enjoyed the challenge, he was not reckless.  He tried to concentrate his thoughts while he climbed, focusing them at the task at hand, letting himself ebb and flow with the feelings that came in.  Choma’qui felt as if he could sense the purchase of every hand hold, every step, prior to making it.

Then, he felt the eyes on him.

Choma’qui had just cleared a ridgeline and was in a shallow crevice leading up to the next rise when he sensed it.  He felt the weight of the stare, as if someone had placed their hands on his shoulders.  Choma’qui scanned the terrain above him, fearing Ridge Cats, but saw nothing.  However, the feeling was strong.  It was real.  Tangible.  Hand on his obsynth blade, he tried to focus in on the feeling, but he could not place it, or discern what, or who, it was.

“I have to keep moving,” he said out loud to himself.

The pace was more cautious now, the dwelling of the Witch was close.  Was it her?  Choma’qui did not think so.  He had been in her presence many times before, though not since the last cold season.  Two more ridges and one last climb was all that remained before he would reach her small home, half carved into the rock.

Coming over the final ridgeline is when Choma’qui saw it.  The Ridge Cat was perched on a small outcropping overlooking the final stretch of the journey.  Its gaze was fixed on him.  The animal appeared completely relaxed, but Choma’qui knew that they could move with astonishing speed at any moment.  For a few long seconds, Pash-Kel and Ridge Cat stared at each other.  The Pash-Kel boy unsure of what to do next.  The Ridge Cat unmoving, like it was part of the mountain itself.  Then, without warning, it lazily hopped down onto the trail leading up the mountain.  It looked back at Choma’qui briefly, then effortlessly loped up the final incline and over the top, out of sight.

Choma’qui was confused.  This was not normal Ridge Cat behavior.  They stayed out of sight.  This one almost appeared as if it had been waiting for him.  The feeling of being watched had faded, but Choma’qui was still cautious.  Taking a deep breath, he set off again, watching the top of the trail intently, half expecting the Ridge Cat to come sailing over it at any moment.

Fortunately for the Pash-Kel youngster, that did not happen.  He climbed the final stretch and then came to the small plateau where the Witch made her home.  He scanned his immediate surroundings, then the home, then took a moment to take in the breathtaking view of the landscape below him.  Pashlama-Kel could be a harsh place, but it was breathtakingly scenic.  Past the home from the trail he came in on, a grouping of the native trees and scrub brush encroached on the plateau.  Choma’qui knew that there was a trail head there that led down to the next valley.

Turning his look back to the dwelling, the door was closed, the one lone window shuttered.  “Lady Ashlon?” he called out.  He looked around again for any sign of life.  Nothing.

“Are you here?  It is Choma’qui.  From the village below.  It has been a long time, I am sorry for not coming sooner.”  Still nothing.  Had she left? 

A sudden thought entered his mind which made his heart jump.  Was she okay?  Did she get sick?  Did she fall prey to one of the predatory creatures that stalked the night?  Choma’qui had often wondered how the old non Pash-Kel woman seemed to fare so well alone.  He walked up to the door and knocked.  Still nothing.  He pressed his ear up against the door.  No sound.  Choma’qui closed his eyes and concentrated his thoughts, trying to sense anything.  However, he felt nothing.  There was no one here.

He tried the latch of the door and it gave. It was not locked.  Cautiously he opened the door.  In Pash-Kel culture, walking into a home uninvited was a grave offense.  However, Choma’qui was genuinely concerned that Ashlon may be hurt.  Besides, he would need to stay the night as it would be too dangerous to attempt the return trip so late in the day.  Muttering an apology under his breath, he peered into the dark room.  The fire hearth was stacked with fresh wood, ready to be lit.  The small table and two chairs were where he last remembered them.  Nothing appeared amiss.  He knew her sleeping quarters were further back behind a curtain that he could just make out from the doorway. 

Contemplating his next move, Choma’qui backed up a few steps outside the dwelling.  Unsure of what to do, he was suddenly startled by the sharp, high pitched growl behind him.  Whirling around and pulling his obsynth blade in the same motion, he found himself staring at the same Ridge Cat from earlier.  However, this time it was only a short distance away, crouched, and baring its rows of fanged teeth.  Its eyes were alight and fixed, the shiny black and grey coat glinted in the fading light.

The two stared at each other.  Choma’qui was in a low crouch, and slowly started to back up into the dwelling.  Social courtesies went out the proverbial window when confronted with a snarling Ridge Cat.  Suddenly, the door to the Witch’s dwelling slammed shut.  Choma’qui’s stomach knotted up.  He reached behind him, eyes still locked on the snarling Ridge Cat, for the door lever.  It was locked! 

The Cat took a  couple of steps forward, no longer growling, but still crouched low like a coiled spring ready to let loose.  Choma’qui pressed himself up against the door, blade that the ready, waiting for the inevitable attack.  Then, the cat laid down and stopped growling.  It glanced for a moment over in the direction of the grouping of trees, then reaffixed its gaze on the frozen Pash-Kel youngster.

“I thought it was against your code to enter an abode uninvited, young one.”  The voice seemed to be coming from the trees but Choma’qui could not see who it was.  It sounded like the Witch, but was deeper.

He warily looked from where the voice emanated, not wanting to take his gaze from the now silent and slightly bored looking Cat.  “Lady Ashlon?  Is that you?  I was worried when I found your home empty.”

“Hah!  Worried you say?  These trees have not seen you in months!”  A drawn out chuckle followed.  “I think you have other motives!” 

Choma’qui could not find the owner of the voice.  They were speaking Pash-Kel but it was heavily accented.  He was pretty sure it was the Witch, but something was off.  And of course, there was still a Ridge Cat glaring at him.  A confused feeling started to creep into his mind.

“I….I have a message.  I am sorry I did not come sooner though.  Lady Ashlon, is that you?  Are you okay?”

“Am I okay?  Me?”  Another laugh.  “I am the least of your worries.”  The voice said something in a language he did not understand and the Ridge Cat sprang into action.  It was back on its feet and staring intently at Choma’qui, eyes blazing and emitting a low growl.  It was slowly stalking towards him.  Choma’qui pushed back harder on the door, fumbling with his free hand again at the latch but to no avail.  It was still secured.

The Cat stopped mere feet away, ready to pounce.  Choma’qui froze.

“Choma!”  Came the voice, right next to him.  He quickly spun and came face to face with an old woman, a non Pash-Kel.  She was cloaked in a dark robe.  Her faded orange skin highlighted by even more faded white, geometric shapes.  The look was stern, the eyes focused.

“Lady Ashlon?”

“Yes?”

“The Ridge Cat!”

Her eyes quickly darted left, then right.  “What Ridge Cat?”

The Witch’s gaze grew sterner, as if it was trying to hold in something.  Her eyes softened, then seemed to light up.  Suddenly, she exhaled as if she had been holding her breath and laughed hard, deep from within.

The boy was confused, then suddenly relieved, sensing now that he was the source of great humor.  The Ridge Cat had ceased its growling and now sat on its haunches, regarding the two quizzically. 

The Witch wiped a small tear from her eye from the laughing.  “I’m sorry, my boy.  But it has been so long, I just could not help myself.  Ah, your face though!  You will find this as funny as I, someday.  Perhaps not today, though.”  She smiled warmly.  “But someday.”  The door latch clicked and the door swung open.  “Come in, my young one, and tell me of this message.”

She shuffled past Choma’qui and entered her home.  He followed her in, going to the window and opening the shutter to let in the fading light, then seating himself at the table.  The Witch busied herself at the fire hearth, lighting it to provide warmth and light.  The Ridge Cat wondered in and curled up on a floor rug near the fire hearth, yawning before settling in with a deep sigh.  Choma’qui eyed it with caution.

“Pay no attention to him,” said the Witch, sensing his unease without turning around.  “He thinks he lives here now.”  With the hearth lit, she eased herself into the chair opposite Choma’qui.  “I found him a few months ago with a broken leg.  Brought him back here and fixed him up.  Now, he comes and goes as he pleases.  Though he does bring me gifts.  From time to time.”  She gestured up to two carcasses hanging above the hearth.  They had been skinned and cleaned, ready for salting.

The Witch had removed her cloak.  Her striped horns atop her head that gave way to the fleshy appendages that hung over her shoulders, which Choma’qui had been told were called montrals and lekku respectively, were now visible.  Though her face was faded and lined, her blue eyes were very much vibrant.  It was these eyes that know regarded the young Pash-Kel boy with kindness, amusement, and curiosity.

“I can sense urgency,” her brow furrowed slightly, “and fear?   What has happened?”

Choma’qui took a deep breath and met her gaze.  “I was using the meditation techniques you taught me.  To try and connect with the Sanctuary Beyond.  And also, to help me understand my dreams.  The ones where I do not recognize things.”

The Witch nodded slightly.  “Go on.”

“Well, I thought that I had succeeded.  I had this dream of a young woman.  She is very powerful, and has many friends.  But she is also alone, and afraid.  Afterwards, I became aware, but was surrounded by darkness.  I thought I had finally reached the Sanctuary.”

She raised an eyebrow slightly.  “And?”

Choma’qui lowered his gaze.  “I had not.  I was still dreaming.  But then, I was visited by a stranger.  He was very powerful.  And,” he paused, searching for the right word.  “Conflicted?  Yes, that’s right.  I could sense a calmness and rage inside of him, all at once.”

The Witch did not respond, but held his gaze.  He continued.  “He told me to seek you out, and deliver a message.  The message is that you have one more task.  That it is your destiny to break the cycle, and restore the balance.” 

Lady Ashlon’s face was neutral, then twisted into an annoyed smirk.  “And?”

“That is it, Lady Ashlon.” 

She sat upright and leaned back in her chair, her back popping in protest.  “That is a vague message your dream is bringing me, young Choma.”  The twinkle in her eyes appeared and danced again.  “Nothing else?  No swooping?  No grand quest?  No instructions?”  Her hands flailed around to emphasize her point.

Choma’qui was a bit taken aback.  “No, um.  I mean.  That was all.  I swear!  I’m sorry, I should not have come, but the stranger in my dream became very angry when I asked what it meant.  Even changed what he looked like.  It was a nightmare.  He said that I would suffer my fate if I did not fulfill my task.”

The last part of suffering fate seemed to get the Witch’s attention.  Ashlon’s eyes darkened slightly, and she leaned forward.  “Describe this stranger in your dreams.”

Choma’qui nodded.  The memory of the fear caused him to break out into a light sweat.  “At first he was in a strange cloak.  I could only see part of his face.  His eye glowed like an ember.  It looked like he had been badly burned.  When I angered him, he returned as a black nightmare.  Taller than the ceiling.  He did not look like a man anymore, but some kind of demon.  His face was covered in a mask, and he wore a black head covering, sleek as an obsynth slab.”  On mentioning this last part, Choma’qui sensed a change in Ashlon.  Where he sensed the usual warmth from her before, there was a sudden flinch of sadness, then fear.  Then nothing.  The Witch knew how to block her feelings.

The Witch’s eyes narrowed.  “You are sure, young Choma?  This is important.”

He nodded his head.

“Did this stranger say anything else?”

“He said that you were known by many names besides Ashlon.  Some I did not recognize, they were non Pash-Kel.  But one stood out to me that I think meant the most to him.  It was Ahsoka.”

Ashlon leaned back in her chair again, clasping her hands in front of her and closing her eyes.  There was no expression, and her breathing was deep and even.

“Lady Ashlon?  Are you Ahsoka?  Do you know who this person is?”

There was a long silence.  Choma’qui could hear the Ridge Cat purring softly.  Finally, she opened her eyes and smiled across the table.  “Come, let us eat.  There will be answers to your questions later.”

She stood up and made her way towards the fire hearth and her cooking table.

Choma’qui sat and watched her, suddenly feeling he had inadvertently become part of something much greater than himself.


	3. The Message

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An old friend visits the Witch. Secrets long buried are revealed.

Ahoka Tano sighed heavily as she watched Choma’qui descend the rise and begin his journey back towards his village.  Throughout the remainder of the night, he had peppered her with questions.  Anxious, desperate even, for answers.

Desperation, Ahsoka feared, that would lead towards darker things.  In days gone past, the young Pash-Kel boy would have been taken to Coruscant.

“May I call you Ahsoka now?” He had asked as they ate dinner that night.

She glanced up at the boy, just briefly.  He was concentrating on his food, not wanted to meet her gaze just yet.  His dark grey skin and features, typical of the Pash-Kel natives to this planet, were clouded in the low fire light.  The jet black hair, normally pulled back behind his head, had been set free for the night.  A rogue lock fell across his forehead and partially covered one eye.

“You may, young one.”  Replied Ahsoka, returning her attention to her plate.

“Lady Ahsoka, do you know who visited me in my dream?”

She sighed.  How do I answer this, she thought?  “I do.  His name was Anakin.  He was a teacher of mine.  And a friend.”

Choma’qui looked up from his plate, searching for her eyes now.  “But, he was so…”

Ahosoka looked up at him, smiling slightly.  “Scary?”

The smile faded, and she drifted back into her chair.  “He lost his way, long ago.”  Ahsoka searched his face.  Choma’qui looked disappointed, but still curious. 

“But,” she continued, “Anakin found his way back.  In the end, he did what was right.  And that is the lesson tonight, my young one.  No matter how far down the path of despair, fear, anger.  There is always a way back towards the light.  Never forget that.”  Inwardly, her feelings rose and churned.  So much more could be said.  But, Ahsoka was fearful.  She wanted to help guide the boy, to help him understand.  But was reticent to do much more than manage his understanding of the Force.  The planet was strong with it.  The Force guided the Pash-Kel way of life, their religion, unbeknownst to them.  He knew he was special.  Different.  She also knew that he sensed there was more.

After dinner, she led him through the meditations that she had taught him before.  To sense his surroundings, centering himself.  Calming his mind, finding peace around him. 

Come morning, she sent him off.

The Ridge Cat appeared next to her, gazing on the boy getting smaller in the distance, then looked up at Ahsoka.  She looked back at the sleek animal, then clicked her tongue and cocked her head in the direction of Choma’qui.  The Ridge Cat let out a high pitched yelp then trotted down the rise.  He would watch over the boy’s return to the village, though he would stay out of sight while doing so.

Tano spent the remainder of the day busying about her home as she normally did.  The Ridge Cat had brought a new present overnight.  Ahsoka skinned and cleaned it, then covered it in salt that she collected from a nearby river bend.  Tomorrow she would hang it in the stone smoking furnace she had built along with the other two from the previous night.  Next to her dwelling, she tended to a small garden.  There she grew local vegetables and herbs.  Pashlama-Kel may be a harsh planet, but there were bounties to be had, if you were patient, persistent, and took the time to gain knowledge.

Later that night, the Ridge Cat returned, signaling the safe arrival of Choma’qui to his village.  Ahsoka turned in to her small bedroom and sat at the foot of her bed.  After a couple of deep breaths, she cleared her mind, and allowed her barriers to fall.  Already, the warmth of the Force began to ebb its way back into her consciousness.  For a time, immediately after the Clone Wars, she had shut herself off from the Force.  During the Galactic Civil War she found her way back, understanding that she must accept who she was.  The final years of the Civil War she spent in solitude, and Ahsoka found a new understanding.  When she happened upon Pashlama-Kel much later, and felt the peace and strength of the planet, Ahsoka decided to stay.  Still raw from events after the Civil War, she threw herself into the Force, allowing herself to become fully vulnerable to its ebbs and flows.  This was for better, and for worse.

The Force was often an unwanted and unwelcome messenger.  Over time, it brought news and old memories in bits and pieces.  She could sense that Anakin had been saved, and that his essence lived on within children.  Much later, Ahsoka also sensed a shift in the Force, and darkness gathering again. 

Ahsoka then recalled her journeys with Sabine Wren to search for Ezra.  Sweet and brave Ezra.  As Ahsoka recalled all of this, she took another deep breath.  No, she thought.  My time is done.  I’ve done all I can.

She felt his presence before she heard him speak.

“I see you have made a comfortable place for yourself, Ahsoka.”

She opened her eyes, uncrossed her legs and turned towards the voice.  The glimmering image of the old Jedi Knight sat in the chair in the corner of the room, looking the same as the last time she had seen him.  Getting older, hair and beard getting grey, but still with that gleam in his eye.

“Master Kenobi, it has been a long time.  It appears that the Force has been kinder on your looks than it has on mine?”  Ahsoka long surmised that Masters long past were never really gone.  She was annoyed at herself for being right.

The image of Obi-Wan Kenobi chuckled slightly and placed his hands on his knees.  “Time means little to me.  I appear as needed.  The Force does not take my own desires in account.  At least, not usually.”

“Apparently the Force is not taking my desires into account either,” Ahsoka snorted in response.

Obi-Wan smiled warmly.  “Myself, and many other Jedi before me, appear when, to whom, and in what form, as decided by the Force.  As time moves forward and legacies fade, so we fade as well.

Ahsoka leaned forward.  Though she was inwardly happy at seeing Kenobi after so long, she could not help but feel she was not being told everything.  It did not sit well. 

“Does that explain the mystery then?  Did the Force send a young boy with a cryptic message?  From Anakin, none the less.  And now you?”  Old resentments of Jedi games began to bubble up in her.  “That boy is young and confused, he does not even realize his own vulnerabilities.  And then he is manipulated to do your bidding?  He was terrified, Master Kenobi.  You had no right, and especially not Anakin!  You should have come straight to me with your mischief and left the boy out of it!”

Obi-Wan held up his hands.  “I am but the messenger, and just as much at the mercy of the Force as any of us, Ahsoka.  I did not decide this consciously.  Nor did Anakin when he appeared to the boy.”  He lowered his hands, then rubbed his stubbled chin, looking down at his feet.  “Ever since Darth Vader struck me down, I have flowed with the Force, like a leaf in a river.  Sometimes acutely aware of what is happening in the universe, other times in a slumber.  But, when I am aware, I innately feel where I need to be.  I go to those who require guidance, and I play my part.”

Ahsoka stood up, getting angrier.  “Ha!  So you do have a choice then?  You speak in riddles now, just as the council did.”  She jabbed a finger at the Force ghost to make her point.  “Lest you forget why I left?”  Bones protesting, she sat back down and took a deep breath, trying to settle her feelings.  “I was not then, nor am I now, a Jedi.  I’m sorry my old friend, but your counsel is not needed nor desired.”  She spread her arms.  “I am an old woman now.  Content with my life.  I have made peace with my past.”

The Force ghost smiled at her.  “You may have left the order, Ahsoka.  But, you have followed the path of a Jedi none the less.  This you cannot deny.”

“Huh,” she replied, bobbing her head slightly and folding her arms in front of her.  “I don’t see why that matters.  My chapter has closed.”

He cocked an eyebrow in return.  “Has it now?  Surely you have felt the turmoil.”

Ahsoka closed her eyes and placed her hands in her lap, centering her thoughts.  She had felt turmoil, both past and present.  Anakin, coming back to the light.  Recently, the horrifying anguish of millions of souls meeting a sudden end.  It was the same soul wrenching pain she felt years earlier, later learning the Empire had destroyed Alderaan with a super weapon.  Learning later still that it was Anakin’s son that destroyed it, and who would ultimately save his father.  Just days prior, she felt the passing of what she believed was that same son.  She never did learn his name.

“Suffering has returned to the galaxy,” she whispered.  Opening her eyes, she looked upon Obi-Wan Kenobi with sadness.  “Did all that we fought for die that quickly?”  She could see the sadness in his face as well.  He was still holding back.

“No,” he replied.  “But it is in grave danger.  The same evil that drove the Empire drives this new menace.”

Ahsoka closed her eyes again, searching her mind.  Finding no answers, she opened them and regarded Obi-Wan coolly.  “Why are you here, Master Kenobi?  Whatever the Force, or you, thinks I have left in me, you are all mistaken.”

He smiled.  “Your chapter has not closed, Ahsoka.  Of this I am certain.”  Then his expression softened.  “You think you failed them?”

Her face hardened.  “Cheap shot.”  The memories of Sabine and Ezra flooded her with sadness.  “Things turned out as best as they could have.  My only regret is that I could not do more.”

“You can do more, Ahsoka.  And that is why I am here, to answer your question.”  Obi-Wan’s Force ghost shimmered, as if searching for the right words.  “The task Anakin spoke of, is that you must counsel a new Jedi.”

Ahsoka glared at him incredulously, then laughed out load.  “Counsel?  You mean train!  Out of the question!  Those days are over, as well they should be!”

Kenobi’s face remained neutral.  “Much as we pinned the hopes of the Rebellion on the young son of Anakin, the hopes of the current fight relies on a youth of this generation.  One, in particular.  You, Ahsoka, are the last remaining person that can provide the last pieces necessary.  No one is left.  Long ago, I sent the son of Anakin to Master Yoda.  Now, I must send this person to you.  This, my old friend, is your final task.”

She shook her head and crossed her arms again.  “My final task is to live out my days in peace!  Just who is this person any…..”  Suddenly her eyes went wide and jaw dropped.  “No!  You mean Choma’qui don’t you!  I will not train that boy in the ways of the Jedi.  That way has brought nothing but chaos and destruction to the galaxy.  I have felt the disturbances of late, the rise of the old, dark shadow.  I felt light turn to dark again.  Maybe the problem isn’t Jedi against Sith, but it is good old fashioned people hungry for power at the expense of others?”

Obi-Wan held up his hands again in defense.  “No, the local boy is not of whom I speak.  It is someone else.  The son of Anakin provided some training to her, but he was not able to complete it.  Surely you felt his passing.  No, Ahsoka.  I speak of another.  In order for you to understand, I must tell you a secret that was kept from me, and one that I never learned until after.”  He paused briefly, then continued.  “I fathered a child.  Her mother feared that the daughter of a Jedi would be a target.  She also feared that I would be forced out of the Jedi order, and that I was too important to the Republic for that to happen.  As such, the child was turned over to her mother’s sister.  The sister then handed over the child to a rival clan to raise.  They were the only two that knew the child’s true identity and lineage.”

Ahsoka uncrossed her arms and folded her hands in her lap.  “And you never knew?”  Her anger subsided slightly.  “Master Kenobi, I am sorry.”

He looked sad as he continued.  “You knew her mother.  It was Duchess Satine.”

She smiled and could feel old emotions rising.  “That, actually, does not surprise me as much as it should, Obi-Wan.  I always suspected you two were a little close.  Not a coincidence that it always seemed to be you that went to Mandalore on official business?”

He returned her smile.  “No, not a coincidence.  We did have a relationship, but obviously not one that we could be open about.”  His face saddened more and stared off into the distance.  “The day she died in my arms was the worst day of my life.  Even worse than the day I failed Anakin.”

Ahsoka took a deep breath.  “Master Kenobi.  I am sorry about all of this, but I am no longer a part of these conflicts.”

Kenobi returned his gaze to her, his face flush with emotion.  “There is more, and you will understand why it must be you.  You knew this child.  You fought along her side, and you traveled with her.  And, contrary to what you believe, you did not fail her.”

Suddenly, Ahsoka understood, it came rushing to her in an instant.  She tried to tap it down, bury the possibility, but to no avail.

“Sabine.  Sabine Wren.  She is your daughter.”  Ahsoka said it as a statement.  The shimmering ghost across from her nodded.  Ahsoka’s eyes hardened.  “And this girl you want me to help?”

“Is the child of Sabine Wren.  She is my granddaughter.”  Kenobi leaned back in his chair.

Ahsoka closed her eyes.  “A chance to right my failure,” she whispered to herself.  She opened her eyes.  “This girl, Master Kenobi.  Does she know her lineage?”

He shook his head.  “She does not.  She does not know who where parents are.  It’s something she is desperate to learn about.”

“Sabine is her mother, what of the father?”  Ahsoka asked.

Obi-Wan frowned sadly and shook his head slightly.  Ahsoka read his eyes and slouched a bit, nodding back in understanding.

“She is already grown, I do not know what I can provide her.”

Obi-Wan responded coolly.  “She is strong with the force, and resolute.  She needs guidance, understanding, purpose.  Only you can provide this.”

Ahsoka suddenly looked at him suspiciously, cocking her head over to the side a bit.  “She is already on her way, isn’t she?”

Ob-Wan Kenobi smiled and rose from the chair, looking down on Ahsoka with warmth and that same light in his eye.  “Fulfill your task, my dear Ahsoka.  This child is the last hope of the galaxy.  There is no other.  May the Force be with you.”  With those last words, he faded away.

Ahsoka returned to her meditation position at the foot of her bed and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths and opening up herself to the Force.  She could feel the peace and life of the planet.  Further out, suffering and despair reigned.  But also glimmers of hope.  Much as things felt during the time of the war against the Empire.  Ahsoka reached out further, probing the Force currents.  It did not take long to find what she sought.  A beacon of light was streaking towards her.  It was powerful, hopeful.  Yet sad, and confused.  A dangerous mix, thought Ahsoka.

A vision appeared in her mind.  A young woman, dressed in light garb.  Similar to what she knew Master Kenobi and Skywalker to wear.  For a moment, it appeared as if the woman looked directly at Ahsoka, as if sensing that she was being observed through the force.  Then, the vision faded.  Ahsoka opened her eyes and took a deep breath.

The Ridge Cat had wondered in and sat down.

“We’re going to have a guest come morning.  A newcomer,” said Ahsoka, looking down at the animal.  “Make sure that she finds her way here, if you could.”

The Cat made a small yelp in response, then curled into a ball and purred its way to sleep.

Ahsoka laid down in her bed as well.  “This will be interesting,” she whispered to herself.  Sleep would not come soon, but this new chapter would come soon enough.


	4. The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka's visitor arrives.

Rey swung her modified A-Wing around in a wide arc, searching for a place to set down.  The message from Master Skywalker had been vague.  You will go to Pashlama-Kel and seek out Ahsoka Tano.  She was trained by the Jedi of old, and was a great warrior during the Clone Wars.  Ahsoka Tano can provide the answers for the questions you seek.

Rey had told Leia the next morning, and she was adamant that Rey go.  When Chewbacca heard the name Ahsoka Tano, he immediately agreed as well.  Rey asked them both if they knew of this person.  Leia said that she did not.  Chewbacca said he thought he may have met her before the Empire.  Rey got the feeling he was holding back.

It had taken Rey and Chewbacca the better part of a day to figure out where this obscure planet was, and the best route to take there.  After the escape from Crait, the Millennium Falcon took the survivors to a temporary base.  Another long forgotten Rebel outpost from the Civil War.  Soon after, she dreamt of Luke Skywalker standing next to her cot and talking to her.  At least, she thought it was a dream.

The Falcon was needed with the remaining Resistance members.  The last tenants of this base had left behind an assortment of cannibalized starfighters in various states of disrepair, and rust thanks to time.  Finn’s friend, Rose Tico, and a couple of newly minted mechanics, set to work.  They were able to piece together a working A-Wing from various bits and pieces from another A-Wing, a Y-Wing, a T-47 Airspeeder, and a couple of scout bikes.  They were also able to kit out the A-Wing with a modified hyper drive, navigation computer, and other upgrades from supplies found in the base.  Afterwards, Rey, Finn, and Rose looked dubiously at the starfighter.  It looked as if the only thing holding it together was squadron colorings and shielding tape.

“Is it safe to fly?” asked Finn, looking skeptical.

“Sure,” replied Rose.  Her arm was in a sling and she still smelled of bacta fluid from injuries sustained on Crait.  “She’ll hold together.”  Rose stared at it a bit longer, then sighed and limped away.

Rey casted a side look at Finn.  “It will hold together, right?”

He took a deep breath and shrugged.  “If Rose says it’s good, then it’s good.”  Then he turned and smiled at her, clasping his hand on her shoulder.  “Glad it’s you and not me, though!”

Later on, as Rey was checking over her new A-Wing, a couple of pilots, and human and a Sullustan, came by with a large bag. 

“You’ll need this,” said the human, handing her the bag.  “Everything in there should fit you.  It’s Tallie Lintra’s spare gear.  You two are about the same size.”

Rey took the bag and opened it.  Inside was an olive green flight suit, gloves, boots, and a red and white helmet emblazoned with the Resistance insignia and the letters ‘DA’.

“Won’t she be needing this, though?” Rey asked, looking at the two pilots questioningly. 

They glanced at one another for a moment.  It was the Sullustan that finally broke the silence.

“The main hanger deck of the _Raddus_ took a missile hit during the escape from D’Qar.  She was in there when it happened.  No one survived,” he said.  Though speaking in his native tongue, Rey could hear the emotion in his voice.

“I don’t think she would have minded you borrowing it,” said the human pilot.  Rey didn’t know his name.  “The helmet is her spare, she was wearing her regular one when she was killed.  It’s pretty much the same though.”

Rey could sense their emotion running high.  “Thank you for this.  When I come back, could you tell me of her?”

The human smiled.  “Of course.  She had a big heart, and was a fearless pilot.  You would have liked her.”

With that, they both turned and walked away, the human’s hand resting on the shoulder of the shorter Sullustan.

Finally, dressed in her new attire, Rey departed in search of this mystery person Ahsoka Tano.

Pulling the turn a little tighter and cutting through the Pashlama-Kel atmosphere, Rey felt herself pressed against the cockpit seat and smiled to herself.  The Falcon was fast and nimble, in spite of its size.  The A-Wing, however, gave fast and nimble a new definition.  After leaving the temporary base and escaping the atmosphere, Rey decided to test out the craft to familiarize herself with the controls.  Despite her concern about the structural integrity of the ship, the sensitivity of the flight controls and the throttle amazed her.  Out in the freedom of space, Rey had pulled and turned.  Performed spins and barrel rolls.  She had felt the Force coming alive in her, anticipating moves before she could think them, and guiding her hands and feet.  Poe Dameron, the Resistance X-Wing ace, had given her some pointers, and warned her about not having an astromech on board to assist with flight control corrections.  However, Rey had never flown a real starfighter before, much less with or without an astromech, so the advice was lost on her.  He had meant well, though. 

At one point, she had apparently whooped in delight.  A familiar voice came over the comms on her headset. 

“Rey, I’m glad that you’re having fun up there.  And I can appreciate that, believe me.  But, you have a mission,” came the scolding yet friendly and gentle voice of General Organa.

“Right, sorry!” Rey had replied with a full grin.  “Making the final calculations now for the jump to light speed.  Hope to see you soon, General.”

“Do what needs to be done, Rey.  You cannot hurry something like this,” said Leia, deep concern in her voice.  “Find this person Luke spoke of, and accomplish what you must.  Luke would not send you if it was not important.  We’ll be standing by for your signal when you are done, and will provide follow on instructions then.  Safe travels, Rey.  May the Force be with you.”

Soon after, Rey jumped to light speed.  Being in such a small cockpit was a bit disconcerting, but Rey had quickly adjusted, and busied herself with familiarizing herself with the A-Wing systems.

Now, flying through the atmosphere of this obscure planet, Rey wondered where even to begin to set down to find this person.  Small villages and larger cities dotted medium sized continents.  Scans had indicated some technologies and industry.  However, the planet as a whole appeared to be mostly primitive and simplistic.  Reaching out with the Force, Rey was surprised at how vibrant the entire planet seemed to be.  Letting herself be guided, she centered on the northern reaches of one of the larger continents.

Now comes the hard part, Rey thought to herself.  She had never actually landed an A-Wing before.  A small plateau presented itself and she turned the craft that direction.  After only one aborted attempt, Rey made solid landing. 

After shutting down all the systems, Rey grabbed her supplies from the small cargo compartment in the aft of the ship, changing out of the borrowed flight suit and into her regular attire.  Securing her staff and pack, she set off up the only trail available to her, hoping that somewhere at the end was this mysterious person she was supposed to find.

******

Ahsoka opened her eyes.  She could still feel the tendrils of the Force delicately brushing her thoughts.  The expected visitor entering the planet’s atmosphere had set the Force ablaze.  Ahsoka had never felt anything like it.  Tenderly, she reached out to the visitor, just so much, in order to guide her in.  Now that she was here, Ahsoka stood from her meditation perch near her home and stretched her aching back.  The pops were both loud and erratic. 

The Ridge Cat pawed gently at her leg and looked up expectantly.  Ahsoka looked down and smiled.  “It’s time, my friend.”  The sleek animal chirped back a reply and sauntered off, towards where the sound of the space craft setting down had come from.

******

The air was crisp but not cold as Rey picked her way up what may have been a trail.  She wasn’t sure.  The terrain was rocky with gnarled trees somehow finding purchase and growing incredibly tall.  On the mountain sides around her, Rey could see forests of them, thick along the slopes.  Other areas they simply dotted the terrain. The few flat areas Rey had encountered were covered in sparse scrub.  Small birds and other furry creatures scurried about her.  She could feel them around her, the Force seemed to be a living thing here.

Rey had been walking for less than an hour when the medium sized animal appeared in front of her, blocking her path.  It had feline qualities, shiny grey fur with black stripes.  It’s ears, tall and coming to tufted points, were oriented in her direction.  Loose, hairless skin drooped between its front and hind legs.  From its padded feet came three elongated toes, topped with a curved claw that looked as if it could cut through steel.  The cats green eyes were bright and wild, and fixed upon her.

They stared at each other for a few moments, then the cat turned and casually started walking up the trail.  After a few steps it turned to look back.

Rey blinked, unsure of what she should do.  The cat made a high pitched yelp and turned again up the trail

“Well, this trip can’t really get any weirder,” Rey muttered to herself.  Adjusting her pack, she followed the animal up the trail.

Another hour following her unlikely guide and Rey found herself atop another plateau, this one about three times as big as her landing zone.  The far end sloped off similarly from where she just emerged.  There was a patch of trees and scrub to one side, adjacent to a small dwelling.  It was built of stone and wood with a latched door.

The cat like animal disappeared into the thicket, leaving Rey alone.  She wondered around the dwelling, calling out a few times but getting no answer.  Behind the dwelling there was a small garden and what appeared to be some kind of hearth.

Returning to the front of the dwelling, Rey knocked on the door.  After not getting an answer she tried the latch, but it held firm.  Turning back to the clearing she peered about, frustration growing, along with a sense that this was all a waste of time.  Why was she sent here?

******

Ahoka’s meditation perch was an ancient tree stump that sat within the thicket of trees and scrub brush adjacent to her home.  It was actually why she chose this place.  When Ahsoka Tano had first happened upon this area during her initial exploration of Pashlama-Kel, it seemed to call to her.  She felt peace, something she had not felt in many years.  It was at that time Ahsoka had decided that she should finally settle herself, and try to make peace with past events.

Now, Ahoka sat upon it, cross legged, hands upon her knees, and eyes closed.  She could feel the visitor’s presence, a bright torch within the Force.  Ahsoka cloaked herself, confident that this newcomer would not be able to sense her.  This descendant of Kenobi may be strong with the Force, she thought, but she was also raw and untrained.

Taking a deep breath, Ahoka opened her eyes.  It was time.

******

Rey looked at the door, wondering whether or not she should try to break in.  The sun was getting low on the horizon and she would need a place to spend the night.

“Why are you here?”

Rey spun around, looking frantically for the source of the voice.  It seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

“Why are you here?” the voice repeated.

Rey briefly closed her eyes, trying to sense the person talking to her.  There was nothing there she could feel.  Opening her eyes and glancing around, she ventured a reply.

“I was sent here.  To find answers, and help.”

“Answers?  Help?” came the reply, almost mockingly.

Rey huffed in frustration.  “I was told to come here.  I was told that I would find answers.”

“By whom?”

“Master Skywalker.”

“A Skywalker?” The voice seemed to soften a bit.  “Which one?”

Rey furrowed her brow and shook her head slightly, which one?  “Luke Skywalker.”

Hidden away, Ahsoka smiled to herself.  So that was the name of Anakin’s son.  However, Ahsoka was not quite yet ready to reveal herself.  This young one was a tempest of feelings.

“Luke Skywalker?  I know not this name.”  It wasn’t a lie, Ahsoka thought to herself.

Rey was getting flustered.  “He is the uncle of Ben Solo?”  As soon as she said it, Rey almost laughed at herself.  How would this person know that?

“More unfamiliar names, child,” came the response, sounding slightly amused this time.

Rey balled up her hands into fists and looked around the clearing again, searching for the source.  “Jedi Master Luke Skywalker!  Hero of the Rebel Alliance?  Blew up the Death Star?”

“Oh child, the Rebellion had many heroes,” answered the voice with a slight chuckle.

Rey was not amused.  “His sister is Leia.  She leads the Resistance against the First Order.”

Ahsoka felt a slight pang of sadness.  Padme’s children were named Luke and Leia.  She centered her thoughts.  Time to push a bit.

“More unfamiliar names.”  The voice became stern.  “Why are you here?”

Rey felt the anger bubbling up in her.  She tried to tamp it down, but was growing impatient.  “Master Luke came to me and said that I must seek out Ahsoka Tano.  That this person was a great warrior, trained by the Jedi Order of old.”

“Oh, great warrior?” the reply came, the air of amusement returning with it.  “Since when does war make one great?”

Ahsoka almost laughed in spite of herself.  Master Yoda used to say something similar to the younglings and Padawans.  Ahsoka hadn’t appreciated its full meaning back then, but had a deep understanding of it now.  She could sense the rising anger in her visitor, and the impatience.

Rey tried to calm herself.  She felt like she was failing some kind of test.  “Look, I don’t want to be rude, but are you Ahsoka Tano?  I…I don’t have much time.  I have to get back to my friends.”

“And Luke Skywalker cannot accomplish this for you?”  The voice sounded vaguely disappointed.

“He’s….”  Rey swallowed hard.  “He’s gone.”

Ahsoka sighed.  She knew this, of course.  Had felt it in the Force when it happened.  But, she needed to gauge the girl’s reaction.  Ahsoka sensed sadness and regret.  Also, love.  Forgiveness.  An acceptance of events.

Rey took a deep breath.  She was tired.  “Please, can you out?”

“Hello, my child.”  The voice was directly behind her.  Rey spun around and came face to face with the withered, yet gentle face of an old, alien woman. 

The woman had an orange complexion highlighted by faded white markings along her face and forehead.  Two fleshy, striped appendages came to a point atop her head, then traveled down her front, past her shoulders.    She was slight in build, and somewhat hunched over.  However, her eyes shone bright blue, alive and full of kindness.

Rey did not know the name of her species, but thought that she may have seen one or two on Jakku at some point.  However, Rey immediately felt at ease.  Her anger and impatience melted away.

“Are you Ahsoka Tano?” she asked tentatively.  The woman smiled and nodded, then held out her hands to Rey.  Rey looked at them briefly, then placed her own hands in them.

Locking eyes with Rey, Ahsoka spoke softly.  “Why are you here?”

A sudden surge of emotion hit Rey, taking her by surprise.  The loss of Luke and the fear of being alone with the Force suddenly replaced by hope.  That this person could provide answers.  She spoke quickly.

“I…I am afraid.  And alone.  This Force came awake in me.  Master Luke began to show me my part, how the Force was part of everything, and did not belong to anyone.  I started to see it, the light and dark, the relationship.  The balance.  I need to know, to learn, how to control…”

Rey suddenly paused and broke her gaze from Ahsoka.  Something in her clicked, and the surge of emotion subsided into understanding.  Looking back at Ahsoka, she was met with a sympathetic smile, her eyes encouraging.

Rey continued.  “No, not control.  Accept.  I need to learn how the Force is a part of me, so that I can rediscover myself.”

Ahsoka released Rey’s hands and chuckled softly.  “Very wise, young one.  You seem to be finding answers just fine on your own.  Are you sure that you need me?”

Rey smiled in response, then she suddenly remembered something.  “Oh, and I have something!  I need help with, if you are from the old days,” she rummaged around her pack, digging out something wrapped carefully in cloth.  Suddenly she paused, and looked cautiously at Ahsoka.

“Before I hand you this, do you promise not to throw it off a cliff?” asked Rey, looking a bit wary.

Ahsoka looked puzzled.  “Why would I do that?”

“It’s just that last time, never mind.”  With that, Rey handed the bundle over.

Ahsoka knew what it was before she even unwrapped it.  Feelings that she hadn’t felt in decades came back to her, and all the pain along with it.  She unwrapped the bundle and saw the familiar black gripping giving way to the sleek metallic finish.  It was broken at the midpoint, and some broken shards of kyber crystals were also present.

Rey thought that she suddenly felt sadness, and could see a glimmer of pain and sorrow in the woman’s eyes.  She wondered if she had made a mistake bringing it out so quickly.  “It belonged to Master Luke, and before that, his father.”

“Yes,” replied Ahsoka.  Her hands gently touching all the broken pieces.  “Yes it did.”

Ahsoka took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  She had been prepared for the visitor, but not the lightsaber.  Ahsoka was unprepared for the flood of memories that it brought back.  I cannot do this, Obi-Wan, she thought to herself.  As soon as she thought it, she pushed it away.  Ahsoka knew that she could, and that she must.  Her old sense of duty, though long dormant, would not allow her to do anything otherwise.

Rey looked on, a bit confused.  “Can you help me mend it?  I’ve tried, but the crystals inside seem to be….what?”  Ahsoka was suddenly looking this way and that.  “What are you, are we in danger?”  Rey started to look around hurriedly as well, bringing her staff about from where it was slung on her back.

Ahsoka stopped and gave Rey a casual smile.  “I was just looking around for the sign that said ‘Lightsaber Repair Shop.’  I must have missed it in my old age.”

The remark caught Rey off guard.  What was it with old Jedi?  Did she miss some secret code or protocol thing yet again?  “I’m sorry, I just…”

She was interrupted by a light hearted laugh from Ahsoka.  Her eyes glimmered again with life and compassion.  “I’m sorry, my child.  In my solitude I have picked up some bad habits.  One of which is when I do get visitors, I tend to create humor at their expense for my own amusement.”  Ahsoka leaned in and spoke in a hushed tone.  “You should have seen what I did to a local boy with that Ridge Cat over there!”

Rey looked over to see the animal that had led her to Tano’s home had taken up position near the door, apparently waiting to be let in.  She laughed in nervous relief.  “Ah, I see.”

Ahsoka shuffled past the young girl towards her home.  “Come, Miss?”

“Rey.  My name is Rey.”

Ahsoka paused, turning back slightly.  “Just Rey?”

“Just Rey,” came the confirmation.  Ahsoka narrowed her eyes a bit and regarded her coolly.  Rey couldn’t help to feel like she was being examined.  However, Ahsoka simply shrugged and continued on.

“Rey.  That will do then.  Come Ray.  We will eat, and you will tell me your story.”

Rey paused momentarily.  She was certainly nicer than Luke was when she first met him on Ahch-To.  A slight rumble in her stomach also reminded her she had not had a proper meal in a very long time.  Deciding not to press her luck, Rey followed Ahsoka Tano into her home, and began to tell her story.


	5. Lessons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka tries to answer Rey's questions.

As Ahsoka busied herself lighting the hearth and preparing their meals, Rey began to tell her story.  She spoke of growing up on Jakku, scavenging and teaching herself about mechanics and piloting from old flight simulators and data banks.  Rey talked about the day she ran across a lost BB astromech droid called BB-8 that said it was carrying a secret message for the Resistance.  From there, things moved fast.  Rey spoke of how she met Finn, their escape from the First Order onboard the _Millenium Falcon_.  Meeting Han Solo and Chewbacca.

“Chewbacca?” asked Ahsoka.

“Yes.  I asked him if he knew you,” said Rey.  “Did you ever meet him?”

“Hmm.  Maybe,” replied Ahsoka.  “I did meet a wookiee by that name during the Clone Wars.  Could have been the same one.  How interesting.  Please, continue.”

Rey continued and spoke at length about being captured by the First Order, taken to Starkiller Base, her escape and facing off against Kylo Ren, who was the son of Han Solo, daughter of Leia, and nephew of Luke Skywalker.

“He killed him,” Rey said, voice becoming silent.  Ahsoka could sense the sadness, and anger, the memory was stirring in her.  “Han was trying to save his son.  Ben just killed him.”

“Ben?” asked Ahsoka, turning around.

Rey looked at the old woman.  “Ben Solo.  That’s his real name.  Kylo Ren is what he has been corrupted to.  Master Skywalker trained him, but Ben was turned to the dark side.  Master Skywalker blamed himself.”

Ahsoka furrowed her brow, then shrugged.  “I see.  Well then, food is almost ready.”

“Right,” said Rey.

Rey quickly recapped the events past that.  Meeting Luke Skywalker, and how he threw his lightsaber off of a cliff, and the training she received from him.  Her second confrontation with Kylo Ren and Supreme Leader Snoke, and her escape and linking back up with Chewbacca and the _Millennium Falcon_.  Finally, Rey recounted the battle on D’Qar.  Luke appeared, but he really was not there.  And then he passed.  The remaining members of the Resistance were rescued by her and Chewbacca, and they fled to another hidden base.

At this point, Ahsoka had put a plate full of salted meat, nut and berries, and some vegetables in front of Rey.  Sitting down across from her, Ahsoka smiled inwardly as Rey trailed off in her story telling and began to devour the food.

“This is really good!” she said in between bites.  “How do you make all of this?”

“Well, I have a lot of time on my hands,” replied Ahsoka, picking at her own food.  “This planet, though not as harsh as Jakku, does have its challenges.  But bounties await to those that are patient and persistent.” 

They ate in silence for a few moments.  Ahsoka dwelled on what she was learning from Rey, and the parallels between this Ben Solo and what she knew of Anakin’s fall from bits and pieces of information received via the Force over the years.

Ahsoka broke the silence.  “What did Luke Skywalker teach you while you were with him?”

Rey laughed a bit, head bobbing as she continued to pick at her meal.  “He said he would teach me three lessons.  The ways of the Jedi and why they must end.”  She paused for a moment and looked up.  “Actually, we only got to two, now that I think about it.”

The old woman continued to peer at Rey, even though she continued to stare down at her plate.  “The first lesson?”

Rey finally looked up.  “The Force did not belong to the Jedi, but it was an energy within all things.  A balancing tension that holds all things together.”

Ahsoka smiled.  “That is true.  Many beings and places have a sensitivity to the Force.  Take this place, for example.  It hums with the Force, as I am sure you have felt.  I have difficulty recalling a place that was more attuned.  Even the native people have a natural affinity to the Force, though they do not understand it as we do.  It forms the basis for their religion, but that does not mean that their interpretations are incorrect.”

Rey nodded her head, staring blankly, but appearing to understand.  “It frightened Master Skywalker, because I saw the Dark Side as well, and I went right to it.  I felt like it could offer me answers.  He said that my strength frightened him, because he had only seen it once before.  In Ben Solo.”

“Balance, as Master Skywalker said,” replied Ahsoka.  She could sense that same raw power.

“Is…” Rey hesitated, peering intently at Ahsoka.  “Am I tied to Kylo Ren, because we are both strong with the Force?”

“The Light and the Dark are different sides of the same coin,” explained Ahsoka.  “One extreme to balance the other.  For generations, the Jedi of old sought to extinguish the Dark.  In their own way, they became just as extreme as the Sith.  It allowed the darkness to grow right in their midst.  Even the wisest on the Jedi Council did not see it.  In the end, it was the Council’s undoing.  It allowed for the rise of Darth Sidious, the creation of Darth Vader, and the fall of the Old Republic.”

The disappointment was evident in Rey’s eyes.  “Master Skywalker said much of the same.  That was the second lesson, why do we need the Jedi Order?  But if the Jedi do not return, then how do we fight against the First Order?  The galaxy needs hope!”  Rey was pleading.

Ahsoka looked at Rey with sympathetic eyes.  “Young child, the Jedi are not the sole proprietors of hope.  Tell me, if you were to become a Jedi, could you inspire the hope you desperately crave for your friends?”

Rey blinked.  “I can’t become a Jedi, there isn’t enough time.  That was why we needed Master Skywalker.”

The old woman reached across the table and took Rey’s hand.  “Jedi is but a title given.  The criteria was set by the old Jedi Council.  But, Luke Skywalker became a Jedi without the Council, and with minimal training.  In my day, it took years of tutelage and instruction, from a very young age, to attain the title of Jedi.  Master Skywalker accomplished that task in the fraction of that time.  Do you think he was any less of a Jedi than his predecessors?”

Rey shook her head.  “No, of course not.”

Ahsoka steadied her gaze on Rey.  “And you, young Rey.  If I were to bestow upon you the title ‘Jedi’, would it change your understanding of the Force as it stands now?”

The young girl shook her head, defiantly.  “But I am not a Jedi, I still need training.  I cannot provide what we so desperately need.”

“I sense in you many things that leave you on a precipice, Rey,” said Ahsoka, releasing her hands but still looking upon her with kind eyes.  “There is nothing I can teach you physically about the Force.  I feel that your understanding of it grows every day.  What I can try to give you is wisdom, and guidance, so you can know how you fit into all of this.  And, as you said earlier, accept where you fit in all of this.”

“So the Jedi truly are gone then,” Rey said quietly.

“As they were once known, I believe they are.  Yes,” said Ahsoka.  “But, the hope that they once instilled, is not.  One does not need the Jedi Order, or to be an actual Jedi, to follow the Jedi path, and strive to instill balance to the Force.”

Rey simply nodded, looking beaten.

Ahsoka decided to change the subject.  “Consider what I have said, but now let us speak of this lightsaber.  Have you tried to repair it?”

The former scavenger nodded, but was not making eye contact.  “I can fix most anything.  But this, I just can’t seem figure out.”

“A lightsaber is not just something that can be just fixed.  In a sense, it is as much a living thing as you, me, or that infernal cat over there,” said Ahsoka, gesturing towards the animal asleep next to the hearth.  “This is because of the kyber crystals that power it.”

“Kyber crystals?” asked Rey, now looking up.  “Can they be revived?”

“Sometimes,” came the response.  “But not always.  These crystals have broken apart in conflict between yourself and Kylo Ren.  Tell me, when did you first come to possess this weapon?”

Rey adjusted in her seat.  “It was on Takodana.  It was the first planet I’d ever been to besides Jakku.  It was so green!”  She smiled, recalling the memory.  “Han had a friend there, and he said that his friend could help them get the droid back to Leia.  While we were there, Finn decided to leave.  He was terrified of the First Order and wanted to get as far away as possible.  Finn was a former Stormtrooper, you see.”

Ahsoka smiled and nodded, the memories of her old comrades flashed in her mind.

Rey continued.  “I needed to be alone so I could gather my thoughts.  And then…something called to me.  I found my way down to a storage area, and a box.  When I opened it, there was the lightsaber.  Then, a waking nightmare.”

Ahsoka frowned slightly.  “How so?”

She seemed to shudder at the memory.  “I was suddenly somewhere else.  I saw things, heard things.  Places I had never been before.  Pieces of my past, and what ended up being my future.”

“Must have been frightful,” replied the old woman.

Rey grew more determined in her speech.  “It was.  When it stopped, Maz Kanata was there.  She’s Han’s friend that owns the place we were.  She told me that is was Luke’s lightsaber, and his fathers before that.  It had called to me, she said.  Maz wanted me to take it.”

“And did you?”

“No, I rejected it.  I was so scared.  I…didn’t know what to do.  There was always something inside of me, something just out of reach.  I knew that.   Suddenly it was coming awake, taking form.  I just wanted to go back to Jakku.”  Rey was getting emotional.

Ahsoka tried to keep her words even.  This young girl had been through a lot, and the conversation was taking a toll on her.  “What was in Jakku, young one?”

“I was waiting for my family to come back and get me,” she replied, wiping her eyes and looking off to the side.  “They left me there, I don’t know why.  But I always knew that they would come back.  The vision from lightsaber even said so.  ‘Stay here, I’ll come back for you!’ is what it said, and I knew that voice!”

Rey turned her gaze back to Ahsoka.  “Maz told me that my future was in front of me, that they weren’t coming back.  She said I had to find Luke.  I didn’t want anything to do with it anymore.  Deep down though, I think I knew she was right, I just couldn’t bring myself to accept it.”

“You don’t know who your family is,” said Ahsoka, not as a question but a statement.  “Is that why you are ‘just Rey’?”

The girl nodded.  “I suppose.  Kylo told me that he saw who they were in my mind, when he was interrogating me.  He said that they were junk traders who sold me off for drinking money.  I don’t believe him though.”

Ahsoka could feel the emotion starting to boil over in Rey.  She reached out to the young girl, tentatively, trying to calm her thoughts.  “You don’t believe him, or you do not want to believe him?”

A tear started to form in Rey’s eye.  “I don’t want to,” she whispered.  “There has to be more.”

“What does your heart tell you, child?”

“I don’t know.  I don’t trust it anymore.”

Ahsoka leaned back in her chair.  “It is okay to question your thoughts.  Your lineage has weighed on you for a long time.  Sometimes you have to unlearn what you have learned, in order to understand.”

Rey blinked and shook her head, a bewildered look now creeping across her face.  “What does that mean?”

The old woman smiled.  “I am not quite sure.  One of my old Masters used to say that.  To be honest, it infuriated me then.  But I can appreciate his sentiment now.”

Rey was now smiling as well.  “It is a bit maddening, yes.”

Her smile faded, then she said, “There is one other thing.  Right at the end of my visions, I heard a voice.  I did not recognize it, but it sounded familiar none the less.  It called my name, and said ‘These are your first steps’.  Do you know what that means?”

Ahsoka shrugged.  “How would I know?  They’re your voices.”  Obi-Wan, she thought briefly to herself.  Before Rey could respond she continued.  “The Force can bring you answers, messages, all of that.  However, in my experience, it usually supplies more questions.  Vision, voices, blah blah blah…”  Ahsoka waived her hands up for emphasis.  “They rarely pan out to what they seem at face value.  My advice?  Heed what is revealed to you, but understand its meaning may ultimately fall beyond what you can see from your current point of view.  Especially,” she poked a finger in Rey’s direction for emphasis, “if you are not calm.  Not centered.”

Rey nodded solemnly.  “I thought that I had seen the future with Kylo Ren, that I could turn him back to the Light.  Master Skywalker warned me that it would not turn out as I anticipated.  He was right.”

“When you first heard the words,” asked Ahsoka.  “What did you think they meant?”

“I’m not sure,” came the reply.  “A continuation of where I currently was.  Getting further away from Jakku?”

“And now?”

“I thought that finding Master Skywalker would be the end.  Convince him to train me and come back to the Resistance and his sister.  Now, I think it meant for my own journey, to the Force.”

“Hmm.  Insightful, young Rey,” said Ahsoka.

“Is that right?” asked Rey.

Again shrugging, the aged Togruta smiled.  “Don’t know.  Again, your voices, child.”

A sudden thought appeared to strike Rey.  “Master Luke sent me here, but how would he have known about you?”

Ahsoka chuckled.  “Old Masters have a habit of showing up and speaking to you, whether you like it or not I may add.  But, when a Master passes to the Force, knowledge is gained.”

“I see.”

“I suspect, over the years after Master Skywalker saved his father, Anakin, he appeared to his son.  If that’s the case, then he likely learned of me that way.  You see, I was Anakin Skywalker’s padawan.  His apprentice.”

Rey’s eyes grew wide.

“Yes, young Rey.  I was trained by Darth Vader, before he became known as that.  I knew this Kylo Ren’s grandfather.”

“So you are a Jedi, then!” said Rey, excitedly.

Ahsoka smiled, sadly this time.  “No, I am not.  I trained with the Jedi, I fought with the Jedi, but I did not become a Jedi.  The story is long, but it is now late.  I am sure you must be tired after your journey here.”

“But,” Rey said in protest, “I have more questions.  And the lightsaber, how do I...?”

Ahsoka waived her off, rising and collecting the empty plates.  “Tomorrow, I am old and grow tired.”

Rey bit her lip and rose, helping her host clear the table and clean up.

Ahsoka retreated to her bedroom and returned with some blankets.  “Here you go, Rey.  I am afraid I do not entertain much, and have no bed to offer you.”

“It’s okay, really.  Honestly, you are much more hospitable than Master Skywalker was,” said Rey, feeling warm with his memory.  “And I brought a bedroll with me.”

The old woman fretted about a bit more, apologizing again for her lack of amenities. 

Finally, as Rey was settling down on the floor, Ahsoka joined her, sitting cross legged across from her.

“Now, Rey, two more things before we rest.  One, if you happen to wake up in the morning and find the Ridge Cat curled up next to you, do not worry.  However, do not make any sudden movements either.  They startle easily.”

Rey casted a suspicious look at the still sleeping cat, then looked back to Ahsoka.  The old woman smiled and winked, causing Rey to smile and laugh.

“The second, I will teach you to center yourself.  To calm your emotions.  I have done this exercise before I sleep for years, and it is very helpful in keeping yourself balanced.  Master Skywalker was right, there must be balance in the Force.  But, it is not just balance in the Force.  It also means there must be balance in yourself.  Now, close your eyes, Rey.”

Rey adjusted her legs to mimic Ahsoka’s and obliged.

“Clear your thoughts, child.  Focus internally.  Hear your heartbeat, and the life it pushes through your body.”  Ahsoka watched Rey’s face relax, her breathing become even.  “What do you feel?” she asked.

“Better,” replied Rey.  “I feel myself calming.  My emotions are still there, but I see them for what they are.”

“Good,” she heard her ask.  “Now, open yourself beyond your body.”

Rey did so, and immediately sensed the same things that she had on Ahch-To.  The cycle of life and death, feeding one another.  She sensed the village, and the people that lived there.  Rey felt their emotions as they lived out their existence on this planet.  Pashlama-Kel felt alive, as if it were sentient.  The wildlife, some very close to Ahsoka’s home, moved about freely.  Rey felt the inherent violence of the apex predators, and the inherent fear of their prey.  Her body tingled.

“It’s peaceful, balanced,” whispered Rey.

“Go further, if you can,” came the voice.

Rey tensed slightly and pushed her mind.  Beyond Pashlama-Kel there was violence and suffering.  It stung her senses.  In the galaxy, she sensed no balance, but turmoil.  Suddenly, she sensed him.  Kylo Ren.  Not visually, as before, but him.  Rey felt the anger, the rage and desire for power and vengeance.  She also sensed in him loneliness, regret, and doubt.  She pitied him.

Opening her eyes, Rey was still sitting as she had before.  Ahsoka sat across from her, regarding her cooly.  The Ridge Cat had woken up and looked upon the two with shining eyes.

“I felt him,” whispered Rey.  Ahsoka simply nodded in response.

They sat in silence for a few long moments.  Rey trying to process what had just happened, Ahsoka giving her the space to do so.

Finally, Ahsoka reached over and took Rey’s hands.  “I have put a lot on you today.  Get some rest, and we will talk more tomorrow.”

Rey squeezed her hands in response.  Her body still buzzing.  She tried to speak, but no words were forthcoming. 

Ahsoka smiled and rose, bones crackling.  “You are welcome,” she said looking down on the young girl, and retired to her bedroom, leaving Rey alone.

Rey took a deep breath, then laid flat on the bedroll.  She started mulling over the conversations from earlier in the day, but did not get that far.  Sleep came upon her quickly.


	6. Visions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka teaches Rey the power of meditation, and begins the process to construct a new lightsaber.

Rey’s conscious thought slowly came alive, drifting out of the slumber.  She had slept like a rock, something not accomplished in a long time.  Now, though not quite awake, Rey knew that she was not fully asleep either.  It was an odd feeling, like being stuck in a world between worlds.  In her mind’s eye, she could see herself as fully formed, but there was a deep blackness around her.  Then, a form started to take shape.  It was distant, but so much that Rey had trouble making it out.  The blurry image shimmered, and a man came into focus.  He looked middle aged, perhaps a bit older, with greying hair.  His garb was similar to what Master Skywalker had worn.

She called out, but there was no answer.  The figure smiled, his eyes looked sad.  Then, he faded away.

Feeling herself coming around, Rey concentrated on opening her eyes.  First indications were that morning light was still waking and not yet to full strength.  There was a weight upon her midsection, and it was very warm.  Finally managing to open an eye, Rey tucked her chin to look down her body.  Facing her, with one eye half open, was the Ridge Cat.  It was half laying on her stomach, half on the blankets next to her.  Its head was twisted in a way that made it almost upside down.  The eye regarded her suspiciously.

Rey, remembering what Ahsoka had told her the previous night, remained still.  She was pretty sure the old woman had been kidding.  Not sure enough to chance it though.  Both eyes now open, she glanced around the small abode.  Her host did not yet appear to be awake.

The Ridge Cat’s expression did not change.  Rey had a sudden thought.  Locking eyes with the animal, she reached out with the Force, sensing the animal that laid upon her.  It was calm, and perhaps hungry.  That’s not good for me, thought Rey.  She tried to connect herself to it, express that she was not a threat.

“You will stand up, and allow me to rise,” Rey said, in a low and measured tone.  The Ridge Cat merely blinked in response.

“You will stand up, and allow me to rise,” Rey repeated.  The cat yawned, rows of sharp fangs baring themselves.  It then took another deep breath, twisted its head the other direction, facing away, and seemed to settle in.

“Just great,” Rey muttered to herself between clenched teeth.

Considering her options, she was saved by Ahsoka coming through the door carrying a container of fresh water and was appeared to be basket of small fruits.  She was wearing simple clothes, cloth leggings tucked into leather boots.  A long sleeved shirt was held in place by a belt and two sashes criss crossing her body.  Her lekku swayed gently with her movements.  Looking down at the two, the old woman smiled and chuckled at length.  “I see you have not made any sudden moves, eh?” she said, humor in her voice.

Rey looked upward, certain she was being used for amusement purposes.

“Okay, you furballed homewrecker.  Let the young lady up, it’s rude of you!” Ahsoka said towards the cat.  One ear flinched, then a moment later it got up.  It yawned again and twisted its body into a high, arching stretch, claws clicking on the floor.  Without acknowledging the presence of either of the two women, it sauntered out the door.

Rey rose, stretching her arms and moving her head back and forth to work out the kinks in her neck.  “Does your friend have a name?” she asked.

Ahsoka snorted as she placed the water in a pot that was already hot and over the fire in the hearth that had been restarted earlier.  “He does not, just whatever insult or adjective pops into my head at any given time.”  She laughed aloud again, as if she just referenced an inside joke to herself.  “I get the impression that he does not desire a name, so I honor that.”

Rey kneeled and began to roll up her bedroll.  “You can talk to it?” she asked.

“No, not as we do.  As I said last night, this world is strong with the Force, and all of its inhabitants are a part of that strength.  I can sense his thoughts, and he mine, I suspect.”  She laughed again as she pulled the pot of now boiling water off the hearth and poured it into two mugs, sprinkling some herbs and crushed leaves in after it.  “I found him a few months ago.  He was injured, and I healed him.  Now, he thinks he lives here or something.  But, he does bring me gifts.  So that’s nice.”

“Gifts?” questioned Rey.  Bedroll secured, she was now folding up the blankets that had been given her.

“Yes, where do you think the meat came from last night?”  Ahsoka turned and regarded Rey, her smile was wide and blue eyes sharp.

Rey stopped and thought about it.  Her first thought slightly turned her stomach, but then saw the utility of it.  “I suppose that is helpful,” she said.

Ahsoka chuckled more as she placed the mugs of hot tea on the table along with a plate of the fruits she had picked.  Rey took a seat and picked one up.  It was about the size of her palm, dark brown with course skin.  Peering over her steaming mug, Ahsoka regarded her guest with amusement.

“Just take a bite, young Rey.”  Ahsoka, in turned, sipped her tea.

Rey took a bite, and the juices squirted out and the pulp was surprisingly not that chewy.  The tough skin seemed to disintegrate.  The flavor was tart, it made Rey’s cheeks cramp and eyes water slightly.  Over all though, it was exotic and heavenly to the scavenger girl that was used to food packets.  After finishing the fruit, she took a sip of the hot tea.  Its flavor counteracted the tartness, leaving a smooth, sweet aftertaste.

“I could get used to this,” said Rey, smiling and grabbing another fruit.

Ahsoka just smiled in return, taking a fruit for herself and sipping on her tea.

After a few minutes of Rey devouring breakfast, she finally slowed down long enough to talk.  “I know you said that you were not a Jedi, but how should I address you?” Rey asked.  “Master Tano?”

“Just Ahsoka will suffice, but thank you for asking,” she replied, warmly.

Rey smiled and nodded.  “Ahsoka, I think I had a vision as I was waking up this morning.  I saw a man.  He was older, but not that old.  He wore clothes similar to what I saw Master Skywalker in.”

“Did he say anything to you?” asked Ahsoka.

“No, he just smiled at me.  Then I was awake,” she replied.

The old woman rolled her eyes and snorted.  “That’s a first.”

“Do you know who it was?”

“If I had to venture a guess, I would say you were visited by Obi-Wan Kenobi.  I served with him in the Clone Wars.  Anakin was his padawan.  Years later, Obi-Wan also trained Luke.  Ultimately, he was struck down by Darth Vader.”  Ahsoka said the last part quietly, not enjoying the feelings stirred by the memories.

“But why would he appear to me?” Rey’s eyes were curious and questioning.

Ahsoka, shrugged, finished off her tea, and then stood up.  “I cannot say.  The Force works in mysterious ways.”  The aged Togruta said the last part low with some bravado in her voice, waiving her free hand, appearing to make a joke of what she was saying.  Now is not the time, she thought to herself, wondering how such a time would even present itself.

Placing the mug on the counter and turning around, Ahsoka clapped her hands together.  “Now, young Rey.  There is much to do today!  If you could be so kind, fetch the lightsaber and bring it here.” 

Rey eagerly obliged and retrieved the shattered weapon.  Gently, she unwrapped it and placed all the pieces, and the crystals, in an orderly fashion upon the table.

Ahsoka took a seat and peered at the parts in front of her.  The grip was mostly intact.  Inwardly, she wondered if that would even matter.  The power cell appeared to be salvageable, as well as the emitter crystal.  Everything else, though, appeared beyond use.

Rey watched her intently.  “Can it be…,” Ahsoka cut her off with a raised finger, not bothering to look up.

“Close your eyes, Rey.  Clear your thoughts,” she said, still not looking up.

“More meditating?” asked Rey, looking a bit annoyed.

Ahsoka looked up at her.  “A big part of understanding the Force, and yourself, is through meditation.  It is how you connect with the Force, how you reach out to others, and how others reach out to you.  You can find peace through meditation, so that you are not ruled by emotion, but thoughtful and wise consideration.  Meditation will allow you to understand your surroundings, provide you with information, and offer insights and different perspectives that you may not otherwise consider.”  Rey’s eyes were narrowed, considering what she had just been told.

“And,” Ahsoka continued dryly, “it is an integral part of building a lightsaber.  So yes, more meditating.”

A flash of irritation crossed Rey’s face, but she closed her eyes and started to take deep breaths.  It was all Ahsoka could do to keep from rolling her eyes.  Was this how I made Anakin feel all the time, she thought to herself ruefully?

“What should I be concentrating on…” began Rey.

Ahsoka shushed her.  “Concentrate on yourself, and the feeling of the Force around you.  Think of it as a warm blanket, and you want to get deeper and deeper into it.”

The Togruta closed her eyes as well, sensing Rey in front of her, and feeling the young woman slowly start to calm, center, and then enter a state of serenity.

They sat like this for a couple of hours.  Rey slowly drifting down, Ahsoka following along, guiding her.

Rey had lost track of time.  The initial impatience and annoyance at having to meditate again.  She had wanted to work with her hands, it was what she knew.  However, a greater understanding was being gained.  The warmth around her was sublime.  Rey felt everything at once.  The planet hummed.  The Ridge Cat prowled outside.  Tiny insects scurried about, seedlings pushed their way up through the soil, searching for light.  It was all part of a system, perfectly balanced.  Rey sensed a presence with her that she recognized as Ahsoka.  The presence was powerful, yet non-threatening.  The feelings were diverse, sadness, contentment, love, regret, determination.  And faith.

“Rey,” came the voice.  It was not spoken, but echoed through her mind.  It was Ahsoka.  “The heartbeat of a lightsaber is its kyber crystal.  The crystal selects the Force user as much as the individual selects the crystals.  Allow the Force to make the connection.”

Rey tried to picture a crystal, but immediately felt her concentration waiver.  This is not the way, she thought.  Consciously, in her deep state of meditation, Rey began to strip away all thought, all emotions, all words.

Then, there was nothing, except for an almost imperceptible tone.  Rey tried to follow it, and it became stronger, tone shifting, turning into a melody.  Suddenly, she was thrust into the atmosphere above Pashlama-Kel.  Rey looked around, knowing that she was still sitting in Ahsoka’s home, but astonished none the less.  The music called, and Rey was pulled, over mountains and across a large body of water.  On the far shore, there was a fissure in the side of a rocky mountain.  It was there she must go.

Suddenly, Rey sensed darkness falling about her.  She was not floating, but standing in the clearing next to Ahsoka’s home.  Fire rained down from the sky.  The forests were burning, acrid smoke filled the air.  Rey heard the scream of an engine and an icy fear shot up her spine and knotted her stomach.  TIE fighters!  But how….?  She looked up, and in a thunder flash saw the unmistakable wedge shape of a Star Destroyer.

A scream pierced the air.  Rey spun around to see Ahsoka, two white lightsabers burning bright, facing off against a hooded figure.  Rey called out.  Ahsoka did not seem to hear her, but the figure turned towards her.  To her horror, Rey was looking at herself.  Her eyes were burning bright, a snarl played out across her face.  The hooded Rey ignited a red lightsaber and then turned to charge at a waiting Ahsoka.

“Noooo!!!!!” screamed Rey.  She flailed about, trying to run towards the fight.

“Rey!” came a shout.  Familiar, seemingly from nowhere.  It was not Ahsoka this time.

“Ahsoka!  I’m coming!” she screamed again, trying to find her way in the smoke and ash.

“Rey,” said the same voice.  Calm, but somehow cutting through all the chaos.  “Follow my voice.”

Rey looked wildly around, but already her scenery had changed.  It was blackness, like her dream from earlier.

Before her was the man.  Dressed the same as before, he was closer this time.  Rey could see the kindness in his eyes, a small smile played across his lips.  His hands clasped in front of him, hidden by the sleeves.

“Hello there,” he said, almost casually.

Rey was still rattled from the vision.  “What was all that?  Is that the future? Why was I like that?”

“It’s hard to tell what the future holds, young Rey, even when you are shown events such as what you just witnessed.  It could be a warning against following certain paths.  It is up to you to interpret what you have been shown,” replied the man.

“Are you Obi-Wan Kenobi?” asked Rey.

He smiled, with sadness this time, and started to fade away.  “It is time for you to return to Ahsoka Tano, young one.”

Rey opened her eyes.  She was breathing heavily, heart racing, sheathed in sweat.  Still seated at the table with the broken lightsaber, Rey looked hurriedly around and found Ahsoka sitting next to her, a hand on her shoulder.

“Relax, Rey,” she said softly.  “You are safe here.  Try to center yourself, calm yourself.  Take a few minutes.”

Rey shook her head vigorously.  “No,” she said, voice wavering.  “I can’t see that again.”

Ahsoka squeezed her shoulder, wiped a strand of hair from her forehead, and then gently placed a finger under her chin, guiding her eyes to hers.

“My dear, you must not fear what you see.”  Ahsoka searched the young girl’s eyes.  “It will only lead you down paths to destruction, and darkness.  The Force does not make one good or evil, Light or Dark.  The Force simply exists, ebbing and flowing.  It is the individual that chooses their path.  Whether it is succumbing to base emotions and submitting to darkness, or taking control of their thoughts and feelings.  That is why there is no need for the Jedi.  It is simply the individual, and the Force.”

Rey was relaxing.  She felt exhausted.  Nodding her head, she closed her eyes and took a few breaths.  Ahsoka rose and filled a mug with water and brought it to her.  After a few moments, Rey opened her eyes again.

“I think I’m alright now,” Rey said.

“Good,” replied Ahsoka.  “Come, I need some help outside.  You can tell me of what you saw.  The fresh air will help clear your thoughts.”

Rey simply nodded and followed.

For the remainder of the afternoon, the two worked side by side.  They tended the small garden, made repairs to the meat smoker, and gathered wood for the hearth.  Rey helped to fix a broken water pump that the locals had helped Ahsoka install many years ago.  One of the gearing mechanisms had worn away.  After rummaging around Ahsoka’s spare parts and tools, Rey managed to fabricate a new gear and attachment to the rest of the pump.

Ahsoka took Rey into the wilderness, down steep trails and switch backs.  Despite her age, Ahsoka maneuvered the terrain with ease and fluidity.  She showed Rey where she got the fruits from that morning, and the location of a small pond fed by a stream.  It teamed with fish.  Ahsoka produced a series of thin metal poles from her pack and assembled them into a spear.

“So,” Ahsoka explained, “you have to remain very still, movement spooks them.  But, once they come towards the surface, offset for the reflection of the water and,” Ahsoka launched the spear into the water, but it came up empty.

“Huh, my reflexes aren’t what they used to be.  You try,” she said, handing the spear to Rey.

Rey leaned over the water, waiting.  She closed her eyes, feeling the movement in front of her, and let the spear go.  Hauling it back in, there was a black fish flailing at the end.

Ahsoka glared at Rey, who sheepishly smiled in return, shrugging.

Throughout all of this, Rey told Ahsoka about her visions.  She spoke of flying through the atmosphere and being shown a cave where a kyber crystal may be.  Rey talked with great care about the vision of herself, and the destruction being rained upon the planet by the First Order.

“As I said before, vision are often bits and pieces of various things,” explained Ahsoka.  “Events that may happen, fragments of what may happen, or something that can be avoided all together.  It is up to you to decide the path you must travel.  That is why you must approach these things with calmness and deliberate thought.  Raw emotions, while they may serve you well in the moment, may not do the same in the future.”

As the day started to fade into night, they were seated back at the table in Ahsoka’s home.  This time, fish replaced the smoked meat.  The same vegetables and berries rounded out the meal.  As they ate together, Rey brought up the last vision she had.  The visitor.

“I think Obi-Wan Kenobi visited me again.  He guided me away from the vision of all the destruction,” Rey offered, glancing briefly up at Ahsoka, whose eyes remained on her plate.

“Really,” she replied.  “Did he say anything this time?”

Rey nodded.  “At first, it was just ‘hello there’, like nothing was going on.”

Ahsoka smirked and looked at Rey.  “Yep, that’s him,” she said.  Rey thought that she sounded almost impertinent with the response.

“He also said much of the same that you did, about following our own paths,” Rey continued.  “I asked if he was Obi-Wan.  He just said it was time to return to you, and then it was over.”  She paused, deep in thought.  Rey felt small brushes of the Force around her, as if it were trying to tell her something. 

“There is something about him, Ahsoka.  I do not understand why he appears to me.  We have no connection.  Master Skywalker I understand, based on what you told me yesterday.  But this Master Kenobi?  I am confused.”  Rey finished her meal and leaned back in her chair.  The Ridge Cat had wandered into the house and was curled up in its usual spot near the hearth.

Ahsoka regarded her with a bit of caution.  “The schemes of Jedi Masters are bad enough when they are of this existence.  Floating around the ether only makes them that much worse,” she said coolly but with a bit of a nostalgic smile.

“How come you did not become a Jedi?” asked Rey, somewhat out of nowhere.

Ahsoka sighed.  It was bound to come up sooner or later.  She relayed the story to Rey of how she was framed for a crime she did not commit.  The Jedi Council did not believe her innocence.  Ahsoka had to prove it on her own, as a fugitive.  When the Council invited her back, she refused.

“Anakin pleaded with me to stay,” said Ahsoka, her heart growing heavy with the memories.  “But I just could not.  The Council did not believe in me.  I did not believe in myself.  I had to find my own path.”

Rey could feel the sadness hanging thick in the room.  She did not want to push, but had to ask one more question.  “Do you regret leaving, Ahsoka?”

For a moment, Ahsoka did not respond.  Then, she looked at Rey, eyes moist, but confident.  “If I had stayed, I likely would have been killed, just like the rest of my fellow Jedi.  It was how Darth Sidious took control.  But,” she sighed, wearily, “I do regret one thing.  I regret not being there for Anakin when he needed me.  I’ve often wondered, ever since I learned what he had become, if I could have saved him before he had gone too far.”

Rey smiled.  “Thank you, for sharing that with me.”

Ahsoka merely nodded and stood, quietly clearing the table.  Rey stood and helped, and then began to arrange her bed for the evening.  She decided to skip the evening meditation, and Ahsoka agreed that she had done enough for the day.

Later, Ahsoka sat at the edge of her bed.  Centering herself, she allowed the Force to enter her mind and body, letting herself be carried.  After a time, nothing came.  No visions, no visitors.  Just the feel of all the life around her.  While it was relaxing, Ahsoka was also frustrated.  Before coming out of the meditation, she reached out for Obi-Wan, trying to sense him. 

“Master Kenobi, I grow tired of your games with this child.  Either tell her yourself, or leave me to my task.”  She said this in her thoughts.  Opening her eyes, she laid down, knowing there would not be a response.  Despite her aggravation, Ahsoka found sleep quickly.


	7. Balance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Rey struggles to balance herself within the Force, Ahsoka must intervene.

Over the next few days, Ahsoka guided Rey through meditation exercises.  Centering, as Ahsoka put it. 

“The Force is not a balance of good and evil.  Those two concepts are largely in the eye of the beholder.  The Force provides a space for those that are susceptible to it to choose a path.  The balance of that path depends on the individual.  The true measure of balance, is that of the Force _within_ you.  Not that which you perceive as beyond your control or understanding.”  Ahsoka said all this as Rey was seated, cross legged, on an ancient tree stump in a thicket near Ahsoka’s home.

Ahsoka had instructed her to try and reach out beyond the planet, to those that she cared for.  Kylo was easy to find.  Though she could not see where he was, the turbulence he created was a tempest.  The same emotions that she had felt before were just as present and hot.  Anger, fear, loneliness, all swirling around a giant cloud of hate.  Rey wondered if he could sense her, or if he even indulged in exercises like this.  Doubtful, she said to herself inwardly.  He would consider this a futile exercise in weakness.

Stretching out further, Rey sensed Leia Organa.  The hope and determination shone bright, but was dampened by sadness, for her son Ben, her husband Han, and her brother Luke.  Rey sensed how much Leia had sacrificed over her life in the pursuit of freedom of the galaxy.  Even in old age, she could still find no peace.

Rey let her mind wander, feeling warm and peaceful.  She could sense the despair in the galaxy, but also hope.  There was balance, if you looked broadly enough, but just so.  A dark cloud seemed to hang over everything.  It gave Rey a sense of fear, and apprehension.  However, instead of reacting to these feelings, she accepted them, and allowed herself to be infiltrated.  She needed to understand.

Suddenly, Rey found herself in a dark cave.  A figure was in front of her.  Rey squinted, trying to get a better look.  The figure moved towards her, and even before it came close enough into the light, Rey knew who it was.

The figured staring back at her wore a dark hooded robe.  Her eyes burned a low shade of red.  A snarl played across her lips, then faded into a cold, determined expression.

Rey stared back at this image of herself, unsure of what to say or do.  Her mind was racing, but she tried to best to keep her emotions in check. 

Without warning two red blades appeared out of nowhere.  With a small flick of the wrist, one of the blades fell away and locked into place opposite the first, becoming a lightsaber staff.  Rey stared in disbelief as this Sith mirror of her raised the lightsaber staff in a fighting position, just as she would her own staff.  Then, in a flurry of spinning red arcs, the image lunged.  Rey screamed and raised her arms in self-defense, knowing it was a futile effort.

Eyes open, Rey looked around.  She was lying on the ground, near the tree stump that she had apparently fallen off of.  Judging by the light in the sky, it was late afternoon, meaning that she had been meditating for quite some time.  Suddenly, she was startled by the feeling of a wet nose upon her forehead.  Looking up, she was face to face with the Ridge Cat.  It butted its head against hers, gave a quick lick with its rough tongue, and then headed off into the thicket.

Rey rolled over and stood up.  Ahsoka was standing not far from her.  She was leaning on a long staff with a circle atop of it.

“Are you okay, child?” she asked.

“Yes,” replied Rey.  “That was, intense.”

The old woman smiled and chuckled, shuffling over to the tree stump and seating herself heavily.  “You’ve been at it for hours, young one.  Impressive.  I could sense your emotions, the balance.  You are learning far faster than any Master could ever hope.  I can understand the apprehension that Master Skywalker felt about you.”

“I saw me, again,” said Rey.  She realized her heart was racing.  “I was dark, like Kylo.  My eyes were on fire, and I had a red lightsaber, but it was like my staff!”

Ahsoka furrowed her brow and nodded.  “But the vision did not frighten you this time?”

Rey shook her head, her brow furrowed as well, trying to make sense of the emotions running through her.  “It did, but, it was different this time.  I’m afraid I cannot really describe why.”

“Well, if the proper words come to you, my young one, then I will be eager to hear them,” said Ahsoka with a humorous gleam in her eye.  She lifted herself off the stump and began to make her way to her home.  “Come, Rey.  I managed to twist my back, so you are in charge of dinner tonight!”

Rey smiled and hurried after her reluctant teacher.

 

Rey looked, but was having trouble making sense of what laid in front of her.  Ahsoka spoke to her in a soft, encouraging tone.

“Examine all of the parts, and look to see how these additional parts may play a part.  Creating a lightsaber is an intimate process.  Think of the crystal that called to you, try to see how it will all fit together,” said Ahsoka.  They were seated at the table, the remnants of Luke’s lightsaber organized symmetrically along with other various bits and pieces of items provided by Ahsoka.  The dishes had long been cleared after eating.  Rey peered down at the puzzle in front of her.  “A lightsaber is an extension of its owner,” Ahsoka continued.  “In much the same way you use your hands, arms, and legs, the weapon of the Jedi will allow itself to be guided by your thoughts and instincts.”

Rey nodded slightly, but did not look up.  “I felt that, when I fought Kylo Ren, and also with Master Skywalker.  I felt as one.”

Ahsoka rose and filled two mugs with hot water and herbs to make tea.  It was late, and the coolness of the changing season was threatening to creep its way into the small cottage.  The old Togruta put another log of wood into the fire hearth and pulled a blanket around her shoulders.  Sitting down and placing the hot tea in front of Rey, Ahsoka arched her back to stretch, eliciting all of the normal pops and snaps of an old body trying to fend off the creeping chill.

Rey sighed in frustration, picking at the pieces both original and new.  One piece that seemed to stand out was an oblong piece of rock, called obsynthe.  It was smooth to the touch.  Ahsoka said that the natives used it to make tools and weapons.  Like many things on this planet, it seemed to have a subtle hum about it.

“All I see is Master Skywalker’s lightsaber.  How can I make something other than that?  It is all I know, and it already called to me.”  Rey was exacerbated and tired, and impatient to get back to the Resistance.

“Patience, my dear child.”  Ahsoka looked upon her kindly and with understanding.  “When you go to retrieve the crystal, I suspect you will find some answers.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, sipping their tea.  Then, Ahsoka began to look around the main area of her home.  “Now, I wonder where,” she muttered.

She had no sooner said this when the Ridge Cat squeezed through the front door that had been left slightly ajar for that very reason.

However, whereas it normally moved with a casual boredom around the home, the animal burst in, eyes alive and hackles raised.  It issued a sharp chirp, followed by a low and menacing growl that emanated deep from within him.

Ahsoka looked down at the animal.  “Curse that boy and his dreams!” she exclaimed.  “Will you show me?”

The cat issued a short howl and then perched itself by the door, waiting.

Ahsoka sprang up, apparent wear and tear from age no longer a factor.  She grabbed her staff and a small pack.  Heading for the door, she called over her shoulder.  “Come, Rey.  I will likely need your assistance.  It appears one of my local friends has gotten himself into trouble!”

Rey blinked in surprise, but then jumped up as well, grabbing her own staff, and followed Ahsoka and the Ridge Cat outside.

Though it was night, the ambient light provided by the planets two moons provided enough illumination that, after a short adjustment, Rey could see quite well.  Ahoska was moving quickly down a path opposite from where her A-Wing was situated.  Towards the native village, if she remembered correctly.  Despite the moonlight, the rise and fall of the trail was significant, and the switchbacks were very steep.  Rey found herself cautiously looking for purchase, while Ahsoka rushed forward, apparently familiar with the route.  The Ridge Cat bounded ahead, calling out in its distinctive chirp at regular intervals.

After about an hour of picking their way down the trail, they came to a clearing.  Ahsoka raised her hand to Rey to stop, then brought a finger to her lips.

“We are not alone, Rey,” she whispered.  “Keep your wits.”

Rey froze where she stood as Ahsoka crept further into the clearing.  She watched the old woman pause, then seem to find what she was looking for.  Waiving for Rey to join her, Ahsoka moved towards the edge of the clearing.

Rey rushed over.  The sight was not a good one.

Lying up against a rock was a young boy.  His arm had been badly mangled.  With his good arm, he clasped a long, black blade that was covered with a light red liquid.  It appeared his blood was everywhere.  Ahsoka hunched over him, whispering in his native language.  When the boy saw Rey, his eyes went wide, and he started speaking rapidly, trying to get up.  Ahsoka pressed him back down, speaking insistently, then looked back at Rey.

“He’s seen you,” she said, blue eyes alive in the night.

“What?  Seen me?” Rey shook her head in disbelief.

“It is not a concern at the moment.  We have to get him back to my home.  His village is too far.”  As she said this, Ahsoka dug into her pack and produced a bacta pack, placing it on the primary gouge in his arm, then winding it in cloth to hold it in place.

“The creature that did this is still close,” hissed Ahsoka, finishing up her field dressing.  “We need to move.”

For Rey, things abruptly slowed to a near halt.  She could sense everything around her, like a snap shot in time.  The boy, afraid yet relieved at the sight of Ahsoka.  The Ridge Cat, fearful yet loyal.  Ahsoka, calm yet determined.  Then, she sensed the predator.  Its form was massive, its hunger palpable.  Raw aggression consumed it, driven by hunger and instinct.  It stalked the perimeter.  Rey brought her staff before her and retreated to the center of the clearing, tracking it in her mind.

Drawn to the smell of blood, she sensed it moving towards the boy and Ahsoka.  Rey raced in that direction, then hurtled herself into the air.  Seemingly flying, the reptilian form came into view.  Rey brought down her staff in a wide arc, screaming in the process.

Her blow landed square on the shoulder of the creature.  Its form three times her size, it howled and limped away.  Awash in fury, Rey pressed the attack.  Swinging her staff, landing blows on the predator as it snapped back, attempting to retreat.  Rey snarled, sensing its fear, relishing it, ready to bestow vengeance, she leapt up for the final death stroke.

Suddenly, Rey was flung back.  Landing with a hard thud, she sprang back up.  Before her, Ahsoka stood.  The predator was retreating and moving away.  Rey saw that Ahsoka had used the Force to throw her away from the creature.  All she saw was red.

“Why would you do you that!” she screamed.  “I was saving you!”

With that, Rey swung her staff in front of her and advanced on Ahsoka.  “That creature deserved to die!” she snarled.  Ahsoka did not budge

The fury surprised Rey, but it felt right.  She gave in to it.  Leaping at Ahsoka, Rey was determined to make her point.  At the last moment, Ahsoka pivoted and grabbed hold of Rey’s staff.  Using the momentum generated by her jump, she whisked Rey around and flung her back into the clearing.  Now weaponless, Rey came to her feet and glared at Ahsoka.

Ahsoka tossed Rey’s staff back in her direction and stood upright.  “That creature does not deserve to perish, Rey.  It acts on instinct, nothing else.  That is what it is.  Balance yourself.”  Her voice was calm and even.

“Balance!  Really?” retorted Rey, considering her options.  She was tired of the condescending instruction.  Why am I given no credit for what I have become?  For what I had to overcome, she thought angrily in her mind.

“Yes, Rey,” replied the old Togruta.  “Balance.”

The young Force protégé scowled and advanced forward again, using the Force to snatch her staff back to her, and then rushed the old woman.  I showed Master Skywalker my true power, I will show this relic the same, came the thoughts, rushing to her head.  A fierce aggression was burning deep inside of her.

At the last minute, Ahsoka brought her own staff to her via the Force and raised it up just as Rey brought hers down.  Rey intensified her assault, spinning and bringing her staff about in an attempt to bring down Ahsoka.  The old Togruta dodged and parried each attach.  Finally, Rey spun low in an attempt to trip up her adversary.  Ahsoka dodged the maneuver, bringing her own staff around and knocking Rey aside the head.  Rey staggered back up, only to receive the circle end of Ahsoka’s staff straight into her chest, knocking her to her back side yet again.

“What path are you on, Rey?” said Ahoska.  Her voice carried heavy in the night air.

Rey managed herself to her feet, breathing heavily, she was not listening.  She rushed Ahsoka again, screaming in rage.  This time, Ahsoka did not hold back.

Raising a hand, Ahsoka used the Force to rip Rey’s staff out of her hand and bring it to herself.  Now holding both staff’s, she moved both in a symmetrical spinning movement and took out Rey’s feet from beneath her, leveling her to the ground again.

“What path are you on, girl?” she yelled at Rey.  Her blue eyes were ablaze.

Rey pulled herself up, glaring at Ahsoka, and took a step forward.  Then, she paused.  Ahsoka shot her a stern look, trying to stand her down.  Rey looked at her, then the boy lying injured.  She could feel his fear and confusion.  Then, out of nowhere, the Ridge Cat appeared in front of her.  It placed itself between Rey and Ahsoka, eyes neutral, but its intent was clear.  It did not growl, but simply glared at her.  Rey could feel the animal, feel its thoughts.

Exhaling heavily, she dropped to a knee.  The realization of what she had just done now donning upon her. 

“Oh no!” she exclaimed.  “Ahsoka, what have I done?”  Tears were beginning to form in her eyes.  “I am becoming my vision!”

“No child,” replied Ahsoka, straightening from her fighting stance.  “You are now understanding.”  She approached Rey and held out her staff to her. 

Rey nodded and rose, reaching out to take her staff but looking down, unable to meet Ahsoka’s gaze.

Before Rey could respond, Ahsoka continued.  “Come, we need to get him back to my home.  We will discuss this afterwards.  In the meantime, we must hurry.  Those creatures do not always hunt alone.”

Ahsoka turned back to the injured boy, and Rey was amazed how suddenly Ahsoka resumed seeming like the old and vulnerable woman, slow and measured in her movements.

Ahsoka was speaking to the boy in his language in reassuring tones.  When he saw Rey, he again began to speak rapidly in protest, but Ahsoka calmed him down with whispers and, Rey suspected, some use of her powers.

In a move that defied her frame, Ahsoka hauled him to his feet and steadied him.  She motioned to Rey, who nodded and took his good arm over her shoulders to help him walk.  Though he still casted a sidelong look in her direction, the young boy seemed to accept that Rey was going to help him.

As they moved through the clearing, back towards the trail to Ahsoka’s home, the Ridge Cat bounded back into the thick underbrush, only to reappear moments later.  It stopped and peered intently behind where it had just come from, a low growl emitting from his chest.

Ahsoka pressed forward, Rey and the boy in tow.  “I know, my friend.  I need you to look ahead, be my eyes.”

The cat shifted its gaze to Ahsoka, chirped in response, and then bounded up ahead on the trail.

The trip back took longer.  The boy seemed to regain some strength, either from the bacta pack or pride, and was able to walk under his own power for some of the trip.  Others, when the terrain became too treacherous, he relied on Rey to help him along.  All the while, Ahsoka urged the group on, muttering about the disregard of politeness that Ridge Cats possessed, and the dangers of Pashlama-Kel during the hours of darkness.

Finally, they made it back home.  The boy was exhausted and collapsed in the chair at the table.  His face was ashen.  Ahsoka made a hot cup of tea, adding a different variation of herbs than before, and gave him to drink.  Soon afterwards, she guided him back to the bedroom, giving up her bed so the young, injured boy could sleep and heal.

Shortly afterwards, Ahsoka shuffled back into the main living area of the cottage, carrying more blankets and what appeared to be a padded sleeping mat. 

“It looks as if we will be bunk mates tonight,” she remarked with a smile. 

Setting everything down, Ahsoka set to making more tea as Rey busied herself arranging everything for them to sleep on for the night.

“Who is that boy?” Rey asked, more than anything just trying to make small talk.

“Here, let me show you,” replied Ahsoka, disappearing to her room, then reappearing, carrying many pieces of parchment.

She handed over the parchments for Rey to examine.  They were all sketch drawings of out of this world things.  Prominent in the first drawing was an X-Wing fighter, followed by an A-Wing and then a very real reimagining of the _Millennium Falcon._   Also present were drawings of Stormtroopers, worlds and people Rey was not familiar with, and a separate visage of a Star Destroyer hovering low in orbit. 

Rey asked, “He’s never left the planet, has he?”

“He has not,” replied Ahsoka. 

Setting the parchments aside, Rey finished making up the sleeping arrangements and stood, unsure of what to do next.  Her previous actions were alive in her thoughts.  Ahsoka finished making the tea and sat down at the table, placing the second mug at the second chair, and nodding to the young girl to join her.

Sitting down and taking the mug, Rey seemed to collapse around it, shoulders shrinking in, head hanging low.  Her eyes danced everywhere, anywhere but towards Ahsoka.  Finally, she took a deep breath and spoke.

“Ahsoka, I don’t know what,” Rey trailed off, trembling slightly.

“Don’t know what, child?” responded Ahsoka.  She peered at Rey with a knowing smile as she sipped her tea.

Rey had yet to take her own drink, still swallowed by the night’s events.  “I, I attacked you,” she whispered.  “I don’t know what I was thinking.  One second I was defending you from that creature, the next, all I felt was rage.  I cannot even begin to,” again Rey trailed off on her thoughts.

Ahsoka placed her drink down and reached out her hands to Rey.  The girl did not respond.  Ahsoka reached further for Rey’s hands, gently prying them away from the mug.

“No, Ahsoka, I don’t deserve,” Rey protested.

“SShh, Rey,” said Ahsoka, now firmly grasping Rey’s hands and looking intently at her.  Rey still did not meet her gaze.

“Rey.  The Force sent you to me for a reason.  See that for what it is.  I will admit, I did not want you here.  I did not want to be involved in any of this,” said Ahsoka, searching for Rey’s eyes.

The last part got her attention, and Rey looked up.  “Master Skywalker said much of the same.  He wanted to be left alone.  Why do you all retreat when the galaxy needs you so?”  Rey said the last part with a heartfelt pleading.

“In my defense, I did not secret myself away after spawning the second coming of Vader,” replied Ahsoka with a regretful smile.  “I came to this place after many years of travel, and have made it my home many more years since.”

Rey bobbed her head slightly in response.  “Yes, I suppose that is true.”

“But I understand why you were sent here now, young Rey.”  Ahsoka finally found Rey’s eyes, and she held them, determined to make this point.  “I came to understand the Force, truly, away from the Jedi Council, and on my own terms.  Based on my own experiences to that point, I chose my own path.”

Ahsoka let those words hang in the air.

“I _chose_ my own path, Rey.  It did not choose me.  Do you understand?  The old Jedi Council steered all under their instruction to a fixed view of the Force.  Because I left the order, I was able to find my own view.  The Jedi Council resisted the Force moving naturally within all that trained under their purview.  They were wise, thoughtful, believed very strongly in justice and peace for all living things, and the only family I had.  But, they failed to recognize that it was not about balance between the Light and the Darkness that drove the Force, but rather the balance of the Force within all of us.  The path to that balance is ever changing.  It is never fixed.”  Ahsoka said these words with a heavy heart. 

“I intervened in the clearing because that creature did not deserve to die.  It is not malicious, it just follows instinct.  You followed instinct as well, but you are not a malicious person.  That is why you must learn to center yourself, so you can see the path you are on, and make sound decisions.”

Ahsoka pressed Rey’s hands together, then encircled them with her own.  “You have an opportunity to forge your own path.  I suspect it is my destiny to teach you how to find it.  How to truly begin your journey,” Ahsoka continued.  “It is a rare opportunity, young one.  It was afforded to me.  Now, I suspect it is destiny that I pass it on to you.”

Rey was starting to relax, calmed by the presence of the old woman and the words she spoke.  “I understand,” she whispered.  “But I still need help.”

Ahsoka smiled.  “Admitting one needs help is a definite sign of wisdom.  Tell me, do you think you have failed thus far?”

Rey nodded solemnly.  “Very much so, especially after I have behaved.”

“The lessons of failure far outlast the joys of success,” said Ahsoka in return.  “Do not ever forget that, Rey.”  She released her hands and leaned back in her chair.

The young girl nodded and took her mug, taking a long sip of the hot tea.

They sat in silence for a time.  Each lost in their own thought and finishing their respective drink.  Finally, Ahsoka rose and took Rey’s empty mug, placing it and hers in the wash basis, then announcing it was time to turn in for the night.

Lying next to each other, Rey’s thoughts were scattered.  She tried to organize them in her head, but they were all strewn about, refusing to comply.  However, there was one burning, sudden realization that made itself known.  A question.  Rey had to ask it.

“Ahsoka?  Do you know who I am?”  The question was spoken softly, but it carried the weight of a lifetime with it.

The old Togruta sighed slightly.  It was not time, she thought.

“I do,” replied Ahsoka.

Rey did not stir.  Ahsoka felt the surge of emotion fill the room from next to her.

“Can you tell me?”

“Yes, my child.  I can and I will.  Now is not the time, however.  You need rest.”

The disappointment within the young girl was evident.  “Soon then?”

“Of course.  I promise that I will tell you all I know before you leave this planet, but not before it is time.”

Ahsoka sensed a calmness and relief in Rey, like a long built up pressure had suddenly been released. 

“Thank you, Ahsoka,” whispered Rey.  “I cannot see my path, but I feel like you were meant to be a part of it.”

With those words, Ahsoka sensed the young Force wielder slip off to sleep.  Now alone with her own mind, Ahsoka could not help again to be annoyed with her old Masters.

"Obi-Wan, Anakin, time is short," she whispered in her mind.  "Make your thoughts known, or forever be content with my actions as they progress.”  Ahsoka felt slumber creeping towards her, so she forwent the usual meditations.  

Sleep came.  Visions did not.  The Force denied Ahsoka answers yet again.


	8. Answers and Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey travels to find her Kyber crystal. She is confronted with visions, fears, and answers to her past.

It was the second morning after the encounter in the clearing with the Night Monitor.  Ahsoka explained that it was a loose translation of what the natives called the large, nocturnal reptile.  She was legitimately surprised, and relieved, that the boy had survived the attack.

The boy, called Choma’qui, had slept for most of that time.  The brief periods where he was conscious, Ahsoka gave him hot soup laced with local herbs and roots with healing properties.  She also applied a fresh set of bacta packs to his injuries.  “It’s a good things these packs don’t go bad,” Ahsoka had chuckled the next evening, shuffling out of her room and towards the wash basin.  “I’ve had them for decades it seems!  Haven’t needed one yet!”  Ahsoka paused and stood up straight, tapped her knuckles lightly on the wooden counter, then continued her work.

The sun was just rising, chasing shadows into deep ravines.  Rey and Ahsoka stood out in the open near the trail head that would lead down to the A-Wing.  Rey was adjusting her pack while Ahsoka spoke to her.

“Remember what you have learned these past few days, Rey” she said.  “The crystal has already made itself known to you.  Hone in on that thought.  Let it be your guide.”

Ahsoka paused, a look of concern flashed across her face.

“What is it?” asked Rey, sensing the hesitation.

“The boy, he spoke of a vision when he was awake last night.  It was of you, with a dual lightsaber staff, cutting through his village.  You showed no mercy, your eyes were on fire, and wearing black robes.”  Ahsoka looked upon Rey, solemnly.

Rey felt a chill run down her spine.  “That is how I saw myself, in the vision where I was attacking you.”

“There are mysterious things going on in the Force.  I know the place you are going, young one,” said Ahsoka.  “It is strong, even by the standards of this planet.  It is turbulent and dark.  It will be a perilous journey for you.  I fear for what you may see.”

Rey was taken aback.  “Ahsoka, I am ready.  I have learned so much already, you’ve taught me so much.  Besides, there is not much time.  I have to get back to the Resistance.  They need me!”  Rey paused, suddenly longing for Master Luke and the hope he provided.  A realization hit her.  “Ahsoka, they need you.”  The last part was said with sudden conviction.

The old Togruta smiled.  “Need me?” she chuckled.  “An old woman that can hardly manage to get through the day without something on her body breaking down?”  Ahsoka was smiling with amusement.  She was wearing her long cloak against the chilly morning air, hands clasped in front of her.  “No.  Skywalker was a hero, people knew of him and the old order that he represented.  My time in the Civil War played out well before the fall of the Empire.  Those that I served with are long gone, and long since forgotten.”  The smiled faded from amusement to a nostalgic sadness, eyes drifting off.

Rey began to protest but Ahsoka raised her hand.  “We will discuss this more, Rey.  I promise.”  She smiled warmly.  “First things first, you need to find your crystal.  Then, you build your own lightsaber.  You want to give hope to your friends?  Look within you.”

The young woman stared back at Ahsoka briefly, then smiled and nodded.  “I will not let you down, I promise.”  With that, Rey set off down the path back towards her A-Wing.

Ahsoka watched her young protégé get smaller in the distance before disappearing over a rise.  She stood longer, staring after Rey, letting the rising sun warm her.  Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and turned her face upward.  The natural Force swam about her, bringing the familiar hum of the planet and its living denizens.  Rey still burned bright, but was calmer, more focused.

Then, a dark shroud enveloped Ahsoka’s mind.  The Force about her grew cold and tentative, as if it was waiting for dark storm.  Clenching her eyes, Ahsoka lowered her head, trying to identify the source.  However, it eluded her.  It was as if it were everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Sighing deeply, Ahsoka shook her head slightly.  “Good luck, young Rey,” she whispered aloud softly, then turned towards her home.

 

Rey made it to her undisturbed A-Wing without incident.  She had kept her mind occupied during the hike trying to zero in on the crystal.  Its hum was a vague disturbance in the back of her mind, something that would be overlooked if not sought.  She was becoming more attuned to the natural background noise of the planet and its wildlife.  Everything seemed to emit its own Force energy.  Rey did not sense the Ridge Cat trailing her this time, and wondered if it decided she was fine on her own or had the ability to cloak itself.

The Starfighter started up without incident and soon she was flying through the atmosphere.  Rey wondered how many spacecraft ever made it to this planet, or if there was even a spaceport somewhere.  Deciding to err on the side of caution, she kept her altitude high so as not to alarm anyone.

Upon gaining altitude, she executed a long, lazy turn and took in the breathtaking view of the Pashlama-Kel landscape.  Mountains, taller than those near Ahsoka’s home, stretched into the atmosphere, glinting with snow and ice.  Further south, Rey could see the terrain smoothing out, and there were indications of larger settlements, and what appeared to be perhaps an actual city.  There were, however, little indications of much tech.  A further scan by Rey confirmed that.  Not much of a stopover, thought Rey.  That was probably a blessing.  No tech or large settlements meant it was easily overlooked by the likes of the Empire or First Order.

“I wonder is this would make a good Resistance base?” Rey said to herself, out loud.  It had no sooner crossed her mind before she dismissed it.  The people here did not deserve a war coming to their doorstep.

Concentrating now, Rey recalled her vision and where she had to go.  The A-Wing seemed to guide itself.  Flying high to clear some tall peaks, the Starfighter then dipped low across a large expanse of water.  Rey firmed her grip on the controls, seeing clearly now her destination, and accelerated her craft.  White caps on the sea became a blur.  Some vessels were visible in the distance.  Large, brown canvasses harnessed the power of the wind and propelled the ships across the water.

Finally, she saw it.  The fissure in her dream.  The strength of the Force in this area was a pulsing, whirring sound in her ears, and Rey could feel the clash between light and dark around her.  It was on a rocky shoreline, half way up a steep embankment from a narrow, rocky beach.  Landing the A-Wing below it, Rey decided to leave her pack.  It mainly carried food and a first aid kit.  However, she suddenly sensed she would not need it.  Slinging her staff over her shoulder, the young woman began her ascent up the steep incline.  As she neared the top, the wind increased to a howl around her, grabbing at her desert garb and making it hard to maintain balance.  Finally gaining the top of the incline, Rey faced the opening she had to enter.  The wind shifted and was drawn into the fissure with such force that Rey had to take a step in that direction to keep from falling over.

Breathing heavily, Rey closed her eyes, trying to get a hold of her feelings and calm herself before entering.  It was not unlike the cave on Ahch-To, though much more turbulent between light and dark.  At the edges of her conscience mind, Rey saw flickers of light and images, as if something, many things, were either trying to invade her thoughts, or seeking a brief look.

Taking one last deep breath, Rey opened her eyes, glared at the opening with grim determination, pulled her staff off her shoulder, and stepped off.

Upon crossing the threshold, the wind almost instantly ceased.  The passageway was narrow with a low ceiling, but not so much that Rey had to stoop.  Chewie would never make it, she thought to herself with a smile.  The crystal still sang in her mind, and Rey kept hold of it as she picked her way along.  The light from outside quickly receded.  However, the walls seems to give off an illuminous glow

After a short walk, the passageway opened up to a larger cavern.  Gemstones and translucent, geometrically shaped stalactites and stalagmites seemed to capture light out of nowhere and fling it about in every direction.  The hum of her crystal in particular transformed into a hopeful melody, stringing her along.  There was another opening on the far side of the cavern that Rey could see.  Making her way across the open space, she suddenly felt off.  Stopping and clutching her staff, Rey reached out with the Force, looking for a threat.  However, the gems and crystals around her started to vibrate, giving off an unsettling sound and feeling.  Nausea started to creep into Rey’s gut and her eyes suddenly grew heavy.

Shaking it off, Rey made a dash to the other side, trying to make the new passageway, convinced the cavern was having an adverse effect on her.  Blackness creeped in, encroached on her vision, and the world seemed to go sideways.  Rey tried to call out, but found herself without breath.  Darkness, silence engulfed her.

 

Rey sighed heavily as she inspected the three weather worn power couplings.  A recent sand storm had unearthed some new wreckage.  By the looks of it, Rey suspected they were from Rebel Alliance Y-Wings.  Five years ago, they would have fetched a full food portion each.  However, decades after the initial battle that rained down starships and carnage alike on Jakku, there just was not much to scavenge anymore.

Rey glanced down at the stash of food portions she had beside her, behind the counter of the Concession Stand.  It was getting harder and harder to keep it replenished.  The local Hutt Syndicate was losing interest in Niima Outpost.  Rey could sense its days were numbered.  She tried her best to be fair to the pickers, mindful of her roots, even taking less for herself.  However, in her advanced age, the lack of calories and the harsh living took its toll.  Rey suspected she wasn’t for this world much longer anyway.

The old woman looked down at the scrawny, dirt covered boy in front of her.  “Look son, I can give you a half portion apiece for these.  I’m sorry I can’t do any better than that.”  Even as she said the words, they hurt.  Rey knew the boy was trying to feed himself and his mother.  She had suffered a major leg injury the season before and was unable to work.

“C’mon, Miss Rey!  Only half portions?  Those are fresh from the sand!  Look how shiny they are!” protested the youth.

Rey reexamined what was in front of her.  They were pretty shiny.  However, more than a half portion given pretty much destroyed her profit line, meaning Rey would likely not get more than a portion herself.  But, he had done a good job cleaning them up.

The aged woman reached down and grabbed some portion packs from behind the counter.  “Here’s two and a half for the couplings,” she said.

“But!” came the quick response.

“And!” said Rey, with a wink, “one more, for the fine job of making them shiny.”

He eagerly snatched up the portions with a smile.  “Thank you, thank you!  I’ll tell me mum how nice you are!” he said with an excited shout.  He turned and made his way to what was left of the small shanty town that had sprung up next to the main bazaar years prior.

She closed the awning to the stand as there was no one left to turn in a barter.  Times were lean.  Despite the waning light ending another day on Jakku, the wind still brought a blast of heat every time it gusted.  Hunched over, Rey took her staff and shuffled over to her dilapidated land speeder.  With a groan, she managed to crawl her way atop it and made the short trip back to her home, to the same Imperial AT-AT, since her childhood.

After eating a quarter ration, Rey laid down in her bed and looked at the ceiling above her.  Etch marks covered every space available.  She had long since run out of room, and long since stopped caring.  As a child, she had grown up waiting for her parents, confident they would return.  As the years went on, her heart eventually hardened to the fact that they abandoned her.  Deep down, Rey knew that there was supposed to be more to her life.  There was something within her, but she was never able to determine what it was.  Eventually, Rey took over for Unkar Plutt.  It was a bit of a hostile takeover.  However, she was able to keep profits going for the Hutts and was popular amongst the scavengers for her fairness.  The Hutts had tolerated her since she kept the peace.

Now lying in bed, Rey felt her time was coming to an end.  So many things left unseen and undone, a destiny unfulfilled.  The etch marks wavered in her sight, then faded away…….

 

Air rushed into her lungs as Rey’s eyes came open with a start.  She was lying on her back, the ground was soft.  She quickly raised her hands above her and saw that she was back to her current, youthful self.  Raising her head to look around, Rey realized she was in a heavily forested area.  Not like Pashlama-Kel, but more like Takodana.  It was dark, but through the trees she could see the wavering light of a camp fire.  Standing, Rey went in that direction and found a woman in a small clearing.  She was clad in what looked like modified Mandalorian Armor, though she couldn’t be sure.  Rey had seen a Mandalorian on a couple of occasions on Jakku, but their armor always seemed a bit different from one another.  This woman’s armor was adorned with worn artistry that must have been bright and vibrant at one point.  Her hair was short with faded streaks of purple and orange. 

She appeared to be middle aged, though the lines in her face made her look older, and hard.  Sitting on a log next to a small fire, she was watching a holovid of a small child on a hand held holoprojector.  The toddler laughed and stumbled around.  At a few points, the woman actually smiled slightly.  After a few moments, she put down holoprojector and picked up what appeared to be a small doll.  Rey could not make it out, and took a few steps forward, calling out in greeting.  There was no answer.  Rey reached out and realized that her hand was shimmering.  Looking down, her entire body was shimmering.  The woman appeared not to hear.

Rey called out again, this time she looked in her direction, standing.  The woman’s brown eyes scanned the area near Rey but appeared to not be able to see her.  One hand still held the doll, the other rested cautiously on one of two blasters on her hips.  Finally, the apparent Mandalorian returned to her seat on the log, now producing a datapad, and began staring intently at it.

Rey walked towards the fire, determined to find out who this woman was.  However, as she advanced, the clearing seemed to get farther away.  Suddenly, the ground lurched and Rey stumbled to the side, barely keeping her balance.  When she looked to the clearing again, the Mandalorian was gone, replaced by a figure in a black robe.

Rey stared back at her near mirror image.  Sith Rey smiled menacingly and advanced through the clearing, stopping just short of arm’s length.  Rey took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, and instinctively bringing about her staff.

Sith Rey looked dismissively at it, then looked her up and down before locking her fire lit eyes on the frightened young woman.

“I remember you,” said Sith Rey with a sneer.  “The weakness in you is palpable.”

Keep calm, Rey thought to herself, though her mind was racing.  This isn’t real, this is a test.  “What happened to you?  What happened to us?” she asked.

Sith Rey chuckled low and long before replying.  “You happened.  We happened.  Kylo Wren was right, but not about everything.  We killed him, and took his power.  All that he had.  Now, there is order.”

Rey clenched her jaw and settled into a defensive stance.  “I would never do that!  You’re not real!”

An indifferent smile flashed across Sith Rey’s face, weight shifting from one foot to the other, then back again.  “I am more than real.  You will see.”  Her face seamlessly shifted to that of an emotionless statue. 

Taking two steps back and with a subtle movement of her hands beneath her robes, the lightsaber staff that Rey had seen before came into view.  Sith Rey ignited it, two angry red laser bands extending outward.

“Your time is at an end.  Mine is now!” yelled Sith Rey.  With a dizzying spin of her body and her blades, she launched herself at Rey.

Rey barely had enough time to react.  Spinning in the opposite direction to dodge the initial attach.  She brought her own staff around, trying to take care not to parry a blow from the lightsaber and halving it in two.  Rey could feel the Force moving through her, but it felt conflicted.  One part seeming to try and calm her, to reach out.  The other, aggressive and vengeful.

The onslaught of Sith Rey did not cease, and she pressed her attack.  Rey continued to spin away in a hasty retreat, trying to use the trees as a bit of cover and looking for any type of terrain that could lend her support.

As Sith Rey came at her again, Rey felt a moment of clarity, and things seemed to slow down.  Seeing an opening in her attacker’s technique, Rey dodged a blow, then managed to thrust her staff straight into Sith Rey’s chest, pushing her back.  Before she could regain balance, Rey reached out and Force threw her back even further, smashing against a tree with a loud thud.

Sith Rey fell to a menacing crouch, teeth bared and eyes dancing red.  “You are only putting off the inevitable.  This has already been foretold!”  She leapt again at Rey, sabre flashing in spinning arcs.

However, time slowed even more for Rey.  She could feel herself calming even as her mirror image antagonist bore down on her.  As one end of the lightsaber staff arced horizontally at her midsection, Rey bent herself backwards, using the Force to keep her balance and hold herself off the ground.  As Sith Rey used the momentum to spin for a follow on attack, Rey twisted low and shot her foot out, knocking Sith Rey again to her back.  As she attempted to regain her footing, Rey again reached out and used the Force to send Sith Rey hurtling away in a heap.

Suddenly, Rey felt a shift in her.  It was rage, similar to what she felt when fighting the Night Monitor.  She launched herself into the air and brought down her staff as hard as she could.  Sith Rey raised her lightsaber staff up to ward off the blow at the last second.  Rey’s staff hit the lightsaber staff at center point, breaking it in half.  The red blades immediately disappeared.

Now weaponless, Sith Rey jumped to her feet and rushed, but Rey was ready.  In an onslaught of spins and kicks, she drove Sith Rey back, landing blows and fending off the responses.  Her heart pounded, the Force raged within her.  Rey realized she was about to vanquish her foe, this false future of herself.  A chilling laugh escaped her lips as she performed one last spin with the staff. Sith Rey dodged it, but missed Rey’s elbow coming around the backside, crunching into the side of her head and sending her crashing to the ground.

Rey could almost taste the raw fury of the Force within her.  Looking down at herself, she placed the end of her staff up against Sith Rey’s throat, preparing for the final blow.

Sith Rey looked up at her, eyes full of rage, and yet, satisfaction?  “It was foretold, just as you saw it.  _We_ happened.  _Our_ time is now!”  She started laughing.  “Do it!” she yelled.

Rey shook her head, feeling as if she was coming out of a fog.  “No,” Rey whispered.  “This cannot be the way.”  She pulled back her staff and retreated a few steps.

Sith Rey pulled herself up to a sitting position.  Her face had calmed, but her eyes still danced.  “It is not something you can wish away.  _We, will, happen!”_   She spat the last part, emphasis on every word.  Then, as quickly as she had appeared, Sith Rey was gone, as were the trees and everything else.

 

Rey opened her eyes yet again with a start.  Glancing down, she found herself sitting cross legged upon a flat rock in the meditative posture that Ahsoka had taught her.  She was in different cavern now.  There were fewer crystals and gemstones, and a large pool of water was immediately in front of her.  It was calm, like glass. 

“Hello there, again,” came a voice.  It was familiar.  Rey peered into the darkness across from her, and out walked the shimmering image of Obi-Wan Kenobi.  He was dressed in the same garb as Rey had seen in her previous visions.  Obi-Wan walked around the pool of water and sat down on a similar rock next to her.  Rey adjusted herself so that she faced him.

“Obi-Wan Kenobi," whispered Rey, more statement that question.

The transparent old man nodded and smiled.  “I am glad that you made it this far, young Rey.  It has been quite a journey for you.”

Rey smiled and nodded.  “Thank you,” she replied, then continued after a brief pause.  “Why do you keep appearing to me Master Kenobi?  Are we connected somehow?  I thought I heard your voice when I first came across Luke’s lightsaber.  Now I am certain of it.”

He smiled again and nodded.  “I imagine it was my voice, thoughts and whispers echoing through the Force.  Not I directly, mind you.”  Obi-Wan’s smile faded, eyes turning down a bit.

Rey tried to capture his gaze.  “Master Kenobi?  Are you a vision?  I am not sure where I am anymore, or what is real.  It all seems so, real.  The things I saw.”

The old Jedi looked up at her.  “Oh, I am not a vision.  I am here, in front of you, in the present.  Your journey to this point has been arduous I imagine.”

Cocking her head to one side, Rey furrowed her brows.  “How are you here?  Ahsoka said that Darth Vader struck you down, and that old Jedi Masters had a habit of showing back up.  How is that?”

Obi-Wan chuckled, eyes twinkling again.  “I explained much the same to her not too long ago, much to her chagrin.  When those who are strong with the Force pass on, they join its essence.  The soul of the universe.  The Force is not sentient, but it does push those whom have passed within it to certain points, to appear to certain people, for certain reasons.  Often, little is understood by the individual.  It is like coming out of a slumber.”  He placed is hands on his knees and rocked back a bit before continuing.  “I had never appeared to her before, and had not seen each other in decades.  Let’s just say Ahsoka was less than happy to see me.”

Rey was a bit confused.  “Why is that, I would think she would be happy to speak with you again.  She seems lonely.”

“Oh, I imagine she is.  Ahsoka has lost much over her lifetime.  However, the Force sent me to her not to catch up on old times, but to deliver a message.  That message was, that she must train you.”

“And that was it?” asked Rey suspiciously.

He smiled.  “Perceptive, young Rey.  Up front, that was my only task.  However, in order to make Ahsoka understand her role, I had to tell her a secret.”

Rey felt her pulse quickening, a tentative, fearful hope sprang up in her.  “A secret?”

Obi-Wan nodded.  “It was a secret kept even from me.  I did not become aware of it until after Vader had struck me down and I became one with the Force.”  He took a deep breath before continuing, looking earnestly at Rey.  “When I was a young Jedi, I had a relationship with the leader of the planet Mandalore.  I learned after my death that she fathered my child, and then proceeded to hide that child, for its safety.  She never told me.  That child, my daughter, later grew up to fight in the Rebellion against the Empire.”

Rey gasped and placed her hand over her mouth.  “Was your daughter?...”

“Yes, Rey,” answered Obi-Wan.  “My daughter is your mother.  You are my grandchild.  You are a Kenobi.”

Tears welled in her eyes, Rey started breathing heavily, trying not to break into sobs.  She wanted to run and hug Obi-Wan, and was heartbroken that she could not.

“Grandfather?” said Rey, now smiling broadly.  “It is really nice to meet you.”

Obi-Wan smiled sadly.  “It is.  Your mother’s name is Sabine Wren.”

“Sabine,” whispered Rey.  The name danced in her mind.  It seemed like it had always been there, hiding in the shadows.  Suddenly, something dawned on her.  “Wait, you said Mandalore.  As in Mandalorians!  I saw a woman in my vision wearing Mandalorian armor!”

The old Jedi nodded.  “I trust you did, and I trust that was her.  Sabine and Ahsoka Tano fought together.  After the war, Sabine and Ahsoka traveled together.  Sabine was the last link Ahsoka had to her past before coming to this planet.”

Rey’s mind was racing.  Why did Ahsoka not say anything earlier?  “Is she alive?”

“She is.”

“But why then did she leave me?  I don’t understand?”  Rey was getting angry now, new tears of hurt and frustration appearing.

Obi-Wan stood and looked down lovingly on the young girl.  “These answers I do not know, but Ahsoka can shed some light.  She can provide answers to your questions about where your path started.  It will help you on finding the path you are destined to follow now.”

Rey was too shocked now to answer, she just nodded and wiped her eyes.

“My time is short now, and coming to an end,” said Obi-Wan, his visage starting to fade.  “Hold out your hand, my dear Rey.”

Rey did as instructed.  Master Kenobi held out his own hand.  From it, a crystal began to take form, solidified, then floated down into Rey’s waiting palm.  It covered her palm from the base of her thumb to the base of her forefinger.

“This is what you came for.  Take it, and rebuild Luke’s lightsaber.  Make it your own.”  Obi-Wan smiled lovingly as he began to fade.  “You are loved, Rey.  Trust in Ahsoka, and trust in the Force.”

With that, he was gone, and Rey was alone.

 

Rey sat alone in the cavern for over an hour, crying softly, clutching the crystal tightly in her hand, and trying to make sense of all that had just happened to her.  The visions, the fights, and the information gained.  It was all overwhelming.  She was uncertain if she should be angry at Ahsoka, or grateful.  In the end, Rey decided that Ahsoka acted in what she thought was best for Rey, given the situation she was dealt.

A sense of urgency suddenly came over her.  I need answers!  I need to get back to the Resistance!  I need to build my lightsaber!  So many things!  Snatching up her staff and placing the crystal in a small pouch she carried, Rey made for the only opening available to her.  The walls still gave off a small glow, but the humming of the Force had gone.  It was as if Re was silently being watched as she made her way back to the opening.

After an hour of following a single passageway, Rey was relieved to find the first cavern that she had come upon.  All of the crystals and gemstones were eerily silent.  Finally, she found the opening and emerged into a fading sunlight.  The wind had died down, she could see her A-Wing down below where she had left it.

Scurrying down the slope, she soon came upon it and screeched to a halt.  Rey noticed a significant layer of salt had settled on the fuselage and canopy.  Looking down at the landing struts, they were buried with rocks from the tide.

“How long was I in there?” she asked herself, aloud.

Without pausing any further, she stowed her staff and climbed up to the canopy.  Using a sleeve, she wiped away enough of the salt from the canopy and dropped herself into the cockpit.  Luckily, there were no issues firing up the engines.

Setting a course back to Ahsoka, Rey could not help but wonder what lay ahead of her.  For her entire life she had wanted to know her past.  Now, the thought of finally knowing the truth truly scared her.


	9. Seeing the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Rey's lineage revealed, Ahsoka fills in the blanks.

When Rey cleared the trail head that opened up to Ahsoka’s home it was dark.  Illuminated in the moonlight, she found the former Jedi apprentice waiting for her, leaning slightly on her staff.  Rey stopped and stared at her host.  Her feelings were all over the place.  The entire flight, and then walk up the trail, she had been thinking of what to say, what to ask.  Rey was not even sure if she should have been angry, or happy, or both.  It was just too much.

Ahsoka looked back at her, expression neutral, but her blue eyes were soft and sympathetic.  She was ready for whatever Rey would need from her.

“I spoke to Obi-Wan,” said Rey, finally.  “I am his grand daughter.”  It was all she could do to keep her voice even.

“I know,” Ahsoka softly replied.

Rey took a few steps further then stopped again.  “I saw myself.  I was old, and then I was dark.  But I defeated the dark side of myself.”

Ahsoka nodded.  “You will need to reflect on that, try to determine what the Force is trying to convey to you.”  Speak your voice Rey, thought Ahsoka to herself. 

Rey advanced yet again, now stopping only steps away from Ahsoka.  The old Togruta could see that Rey was trembling, barely holding it together.  Her eyes were fixed, tears welling up.  Ahsoka returned her gaze with soft eyes.

Rey wanted to scream, but could not find her voice.  Finally, she managed to speak, her face contorting as she got the words out.  “I saw my mom, Ahsoka.  I saw her…..”  With that, she finally broke down.

This time it was Ahsoka that stepped forward.  She enveloped Rey in a hug, robes wrapping around the young girl.  Rey collapsed to her knees, now openly crying.  She grabbed on to Ahsoka’s robe with balled fists and buried her face in Ahsoka’s shoulder.  Ahsoka, for her part, held her as close as she could.  Her cheek against Rey’s temple, Ahsoka could feel tears of her own start to trickle down her cheek.

Long minutes later, Ahsoka whispered in Rey’s ear.  “Come child, there is much I must tell you.”  Rey released her grip and nodded, wiping tears from her eyes.

Without saying a word, both women stood, then made their way towards the home, Ahsoka’s arm around her young protégé’s shoulder.

 

Rey sat at the table in silence as Ahsoka prepared some food.  The Ridge Cat was curled up in a ball near the fire hearth and outright snoring.  It made Rey smile slightly.  The wild animal seemed to not have a single care in the world.

Ahsoka joined her and placed a plate full of the tart fruit, nuts, berries, and smoked meat in front of Rey.  Rey picked up one of the strips of meat and nibbled on it absent mindedly.  Ahsoka grabbed a handful of the nuts and berries and popped a few into her mouth.  She chewed them and regarded the young woman in front of her.  Ahsoka figured she was going to have to drive this conversation.

“So,” said Ahsoka, “do you want me to start from the beginning or do you have questions up front?”

Rey seemed to snap out of her trance.  “My mother’s name is Sabine Wren.”  Rey looked up at Ahsoka.  “You knew this?”

“I did, but only recently.  Obi-Wan revealed it to me shortly before your arrival.  I have not seen Sabine for a long time, much before you were born I would think.”  Ahsoka tossed a few more nuts and berries into her mouth, chewing them softly.

“What is she like?” asked Rey, eyes imploring Ahsoka.

The old Togruta smiled and leaned back in her chair.  “Sabine was one of the most cunning and resourceful people I served with during the Civil War.  She was brave, compassionate, fiercely loyal to those she considered family.  An artist as well.  That Resistance symbol?  She created it.”

Rey smiled and exhaled sharply at the same time.  Every piece of new information seemed to steal her breath.

“Tell me about her, please,” pleaded Rey.

Ahsoka smiled.  “It would be my joy to do so.”

 

Ahsoka spent the next few hours regaling Rey about the exploits of her mother, Sabine Wren.  She spoke of the times they served together during the Rebellion.  She told Rey of the rebel cell Spectres, and the crew of the _Ghost,_ those she considered family.  The Twi-lek Captain, Hera Syndulla, and her belligerent, borderline psychotic astromech droid named Chopper.  The Lasat called Zeb.  Ahsoka spoke in detail of Kanan Jarrus, the padawan that had survived the Jedi purge, and his own padawan Ezra Bridger. 

“After the Rebellion, Sabine and I traveled together,” said Ahsoka with a tired smile.  “Ezra had disappeared into Wild Space during the liberation of his home planet, Lothal.  Sabine was determined to find him.  As was I.  He saved my life, and I told him that I would find him, when I could.”

Rey had been devouring the food while listening to Ahsoka, and wondered why she was so famished.  “So you two traveled together looking for Ezra?”

Ahsoka nodded, eyes growing nostalgic.  “For a long time.  All over the Outer Rim.  Even a few forays into Wild Space.  We made some friends along the way, helped some people.  Rooted out some Imperial hold outs.  Even made it to Jakku once, though of course, long before you were born.”  Ahsoka was smiling at the memory.  “It was not long after the final battle between what was left of the Empire and the New Republic.  Some of the hulks were still smoldering months later.”

Rey smiled slightly and bobbed her head, wondering what that landscape must have looked like so soon after the fighting had ended.  “Did you ever find him?”

Ahsoka shook her head sadly.  “We did not.  Sabine and I landed here, following a possible lead.  I had discovered this plant from talking with traders, and there were rumors it was full of magic.  Normally, that translates to ‘strong with the Force.’”  The old woman laughed slightly.  “Anyway, we spent a month here, looking.  Of course, we did not find anything we were looking for.  However, I was completely unprepared for how connected to the Force this planet was.  I could not discern why, but I was certain that I should stay.”

“Stay?” replied Rey.  “This planet is so primitive.  There’s nothing here.”  She could not comprehend someone used to traveling the stars to want to settle in a place like Pashlama-Kel”

Ahsoka smiled.  “Sometimes a change in perspective, your point of view as Master Kenobi was so fond of saying, is needed.”  An amused twinkle flashed in her eyes.  “Perhaps the Force was telling me I needed to wait for you?”

Rey smiled at this, chewing on one of the tart fruits.  Ahsoka took a drink of hot tea she had prepared before continuing.  “But, my travels with Sabine were coming to an end.  We did not exactly see eye to eye on the search for Ezra.”

“How so?” asked Rey.

The old Tagruta took a deep breath before continuing.  “All those years of conflict had changed Sabine.  It changed all of us.  However, during the war, she had her Spectres family to lean on.  After the Empire fell, that family broke up.  Kanen had perished.  Hera joined the New Republic Navy and continued the fight.  Zeb returned to his people.  That left only me, and I was not part of that original family.  The longer we searched, and the more dead ends we encountered, those changes in your mother started to manifest themselves in painful and destructive ways.”

Ahsoka looked across at Rey, who seemed to be searching for words.  Ahsoka could sense emotion again welling within the young woman, so she continued her story.

“She had become obsessed with finding Ezra.  In Mandalorian culture, to fail in your duty is a pretty big deal.  And to Sabine, finding Ezra was her sole duty.  She was grew more aggressive.  Less kind.  Disconnected.  Even stopped decorating her armor.  I tried to guide her back, but in the end she chose a different path.  I could not continue with her.  Not long after I came to that realization, we arrived here, and I knew for certain what I must do.”

Rey’s eyes started to tear again and she wiped them quickly.  “I can’t even begin to imagine how that must have been for her.”

Ahsoka sipped her tea and nodded.  “I suspected though, that her search for Ezra was more than just a sense of duty.  I believe that she loved him, and never had the opportunity to tell him so.”

The emotion caught in Rey’s throat.  She tried to keep her composure.  “When you told her, was she angry?”

At this, Ahsoka laughed.  “Angry is an understatement.  She was furious.  Said that I was abandoning her and Ezra.  Unfortunately, our parting was not on good terms.  I often hoped she would return, so we could make amends, but she has not.”

Rey wiped her eyes again and took a deep breath.  “Do you think my mother ever found Ezra?”

Ahsoka shrugged slightly.  “I cannot say.”

“Do you know who my father is?” asked Rey, eyes hopeful and fearful all at once.

“I do not, Rey.  I am sorry.  I don’t believe Master Kenobi has that knowledge either.”  It’s Ezra, Ahsoka thought to herself.  However, she did not know this for certain and decided to keep her speculation to herself.

“But why would she just leave me on Jakku?  Sold off none the less!” Rey was suddenly angry.

“I do not know, Rey.”  Ahsoka’s tone was measured.  She wanted to keep Rey calm, focused on the conversation.  “All I can say is that the situation must have been dire.  Sabine would never have done so of her own accord.  Unfortunately, I do not know the circumstances that took you from your mother and left you on Jakku.”

Rey’s anger rose a bit more, but then subsided.  She was emotionally and physically exhausted.  She looked down at the nearly empty plate of food.  “I want to search for her, but there is no time.  I need to finish with Luke’s lightsaber and return to the Resistance.”

A thought suddenly struck Ahsoka.  “Rey, you said you saw Sabine in your vision in the cave.  Describe it to me.”

Rey described her vision, seeing her mother watching a holovid of her.  Of calling out, but not being heard.  “She was holding a doll, kind of like the one that I used to have on Jakku.”  Rey smiled at the memory, and her mind flashed back to the vision of her mother looking at the doll.  The orange doll.

Rey’s eyes snapped wide open and she shot to her feet.  The chair skidded back across the room.  The Ridge Cat’s head popped up, eyes shining, at the sudden disturbance.

“The doll!  It was orange!  Ahsoka!  The doll was orange!  My doll on Jakku is orange!”  Rey was yelling, hands at the side of her head.  Ahsoka continued to regard her calmly, though a slight smile was starting to play across her lips.  “That was my doll!  I was seeing my mother, Ahsoka!  She’s been to Jakku!  She came for me!  She came back for me!”

Rey was laughing and crying at the same time.  She started to sit down.  Ahsoka quickly raised a finger and floated the chair back across the room, preventing Rey from falling to the floor.  The Ridge Cat chirped, shot Ahsoka a dubious look, and then returned to its previous sleeping position.

She seemed not to realize that Ahsoka had moved the chair back to save her.  Rey continued to rapidly talk.  “She was on Jakku!  I have to go back.  Wait, she wasn’t on Jakku when I saw her.  So where is she?”

Ahsoka allowed herself a grin.  “Rey.  Take a moment, calm down.”  Rey paused.  Ahsoka was unsure if she heard her, or if she was gearing up for another rapid fire outburst. 

“Rey!” said Ahsoka again, more forceful this time.  “Look at me.”  Rey seemed to snap out of it and look at Ahsoka.

“Find your balance, child.  Center yourself.  You will find answers there.”

“But Ahsoka,” Rey started, then stopped.  The old Jedi apprentice was looking at her sternly, yet knowingly.  Rey understood.

Closing her eyes, Rey took a deep breath.  She could feel her pulse slow, thoughts arranging themselves from the chaos.  Time seemed to slow down.  Calmness replaced the excitement.  In her mind’s eye, Rey could see herself clearly, but surrounded by blackness.  After a short moment, a vision seemed to materialize.  It was Sabine, at the controls of a ship.  In the view port, Rey could see a lush green planet getting smaller.

“I think she was on Takodana, but is leaving,” said Rey aloud. 

Sabine seemed to be studying the navigational computer.  A beeping light on the console alerted her that the hyper drive had locked in coordinates.  Sabine looked over at a small, orange suited doll, then made the jump to light speed.

Rey opened her eyes.  Ahsoka’s eyes were closed, she was breathing evenly.  A moment, the old Togruta opened her eyes and looked calmly across the table at her young charge.

“Do you understand, young Rey?” asked Ahsoka.  “The power of finding your balance?”

Rey met her gaze and nodded slowly.  “I am beginning to, yes.”  She closed her eyes again, took a deep breath, and then reopened them.  “I was on Takodana, not too long ago.  My mother is looking for me.”  Rey said this with a calm, measured tone.

Ahsoka nodded.  “What do you feel?”

Young Rey looked down briefly, thinking, then back up.  “I want to stay here, to wait for her.”  She paused.  “However, I feel that I need to keep moving forward.  That where I need to be lies ahead of me, not waiting for my past to catch up.”

Ahsoka smiled.  “Wise.  Do you feel the conflict within you?”

Rey nodded.  “I do.  I desperately want to find my mother.”  Rey voice waivered slightly, but she kept it under control.  “But I know that I have to finish what I started and return to Leia.”

Ahsoka’s eyes narrowed slightly, then shook her head in agreement.  “It has been a long night, we should rest.”  She reached across the table for Rey’s hands, her thin, bony knuckles a sharp contrast to Rey’s slender fingers.  “You have come a long way in a short time, Rey.  I am proud of you.  Your mother would be as well, of this I am certain.”

Rey exhaled sharply and smiled.  “Thank you, Ahsoka.  This means so much to me.”

Ahsoka squeezed her hands, then released them.  “You are welcome, my child.”

She stood up and took the now empty food plate, turning toward the wash basin.  Rey moved to begin setting up the sleeping mats and linens, kneeling to roll out the beddings.  Ahsoka turned to look, then resumed her washing, speaking over her shoulder.

“You only need to set up your own bedding for tonight, my dear.”

Rey was confused.  She looked towards Ahsoka’s room, then back.  “But, the boy?”

“Is safely home.”  Ahsoka placed the clean plate on a shelf and turned, facing Rey.  “I took him home yesterday.  Just got back shortly before your own return.”

Rey shook her head.  “But, I just left this morning.  How?”

The old woman smiled, leaning against the counter.  “You left two mornings ago.”

Rey looked incredulous.  “I was gone for two days?”

Ahsoka nodded.

“Huh, explains the A-Wing.  And why I was so hungry,” said Rey, mostly to herself.

Ahsoka chuckled and walked over to Rey.  Smiling, she took Rey’s cheek in her hand and placed a light kiss on Rey’s forehead.  “The Force works in mysterious ways.”  She gave a quick wink, then shuffled off to her own bedroom.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a tie in for Ahsoka to play a role in the final Skywalker installment. For closing out the legacy of the Skywalkers, I thought it would be pretty awesome to have the former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker provide the final bit of Jedi training for Rey. Especially since Rey will need all the training she can get as she will inevitably face off against the grandson of her former Master. Ahsoka would put that final piece in place, much like Yoda did for Luke. Also, imagine the reaction in the theater if a non animated Ahsoka made an appearance in the final movie!
> 
> Ahsoka is arguably one of the best non original characters in the Star Wars universe. I think they would do the franchise a great service allowing her to cross over to play a role in the final chapter of her former Master, Anakin Skywalker and his family line.
> 
> I've had fun writing this story, I hope you enjoy it. If so inclined, please leave comments. I would love the feedback.


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